Anything But Normal
by NikkiEvans
Summary: Normal people don't think anything of newspapers. But Liz and Dean are anything but normal. PG13 for future chapters. DeanOFC. Please read and review.
1. Part 1

Anything But Normal

Part 1

He was reading the newspaper. She _hated_ when he read the newspaper. Normally, a wife wouldn't think anything of her husband reading a newspaper. But Liz and Dean Winchester were anything but normal.

Liz Atwood had been normal for the first fifteen years of her life. She was your average pretty blue eyed brunette from North Dakota. That all changed when her brother and father were murdered. The investigators didn't have many leads. There bodies were shred to pieces, and their hearts were taken out. She almost couldn't identify their bodies at the morgue. The investigators guessed that it was bears.

Liz knew something wasn't right. Her mother had died in a fire when she was a baby. Then her father and brother mysteriously die. Liz knew the events were connected. She didn't understand it, but she had a feeling that it wasn't an electrical fire or bears that killed her family.

A month after her father and brother died, Liz was living in her aunt's apartment. She was working at a coffee shop and currently on her break. She was trying to get some homework done when she overheard the conversation going on at the table in front of hers. She kept her head down, looking at her book, so the wouldn't notice her.

"So the lunar cycle was the same for all of them?" an older man with dark hair asked.

"Yes, sir. All 8 victims have been killed during the week leading up to the full moon for three months now." a younger boy said. He seemed like a younger version of the older man. He looked to be about 18 or 19.

"Who are the latest victims?" the older man asked.

"Tom and Alex Atwood. Father and son." said a boy who looked about Liz's age. He was tall and lanky with messy brown hair.

"Any living relatives?"

"Yes, sir. Elizabeth Atwood, 15 years old. Daughter and sister to the victims. She lives with her aunt, Bethany Davis." the tall boy said.

"The aunt, is she the sister of the victim, Sam?"

"No," Sam answered, "sister in law."

"His wife?"

"Died in a fire." Sam said staring at one of his papers.

"Sammy, what's with the face? You look like someone just sucker punched you." the older boy said.

"Melanie Atwood was killed in an electrical fire on September 5, 1983. When Elizabeth was exactly six months old."

"That doesn't mean it was the demon." the older boy told him.

"I think it's a safe assumption, Dean. It's the exact same thing that happ–"

"Sammy, we don't assume anything. There could be actual electrical fires. We'll have to look into this more. I'm gonna go our and get amo. We're running low. Dean, take your brother to the library after you finish eating. Find Elizabeth's address and give it to me. Stay at the library with your brother until he's done his report."

"Yes, sir." after the man left Dean said, "Why do you bother with the stupid school work. Shakespeare and Geometry don't help you in the real world."

"I want to go to college. I don't want to be a hunter."

"Yeah, whatever, Sammy."

Liz's break was up. She went to the back and put her apron back on. She went over to Sam and Dean's table. "Do you guys want anything else?" she asked politely, pretending she hadn't just been eavesdropping on them just moments ago.

"God, yes." Dean smirked.

"Just a check." Sam said, rolling his eyes.

"Alright." She came back and placed their check on the table.

"What's your name?" Dean asked.

"Liz. I'm a Pisces and 15, meaning not legal and you're not my type anyways." She was used to guys like Dean. They came into the coffee shop all the time.

Sam laughed. "You accept Visa?" Dean asked, not looking at her directly because he was embarrassed that she turned him down before he could even use a cheesy pick up line.

(A/N: Please review and tell me what you think. This is my first shot at Supernatural fanfiction, so tell me if there's anything I can do to make it better. Constructive Criticism is wonderful. Flames are not. I'll try to post the next part by next week! l8r, Nikki)


	2. Part 2

Disclaimer: Don't own Supernatural...unfortunately. Do own Liz and her family along with this plot.

Anything But Normal

Part 2

That night, Liz was at home watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Her Aunt Bethany came into the living room followed by a man. It was the older man from the coffee shop earlier that say. Only now he was in a cheap suit instead of an old black leather jacket and jeans.

"Liz? Sweetie, this is Ted Hendrix. He's from your dad's insurance company."

"I'd like to ask you a few questions if that's you're okay with that." the man said.

"Yeah, sure." Liz decided to play along. She knew he wasn't from the insurance company. She figured if she was sneaky and played her cards right, she might find out something.

"Liz, I have a shift at the hospital, but if you want me to stay, I can–"

"Go, I'll be fine, Aunt Beth." Liz smiled.

"So your father–"

"Tell me your real name." Liz demanded. So much for being sneaky.

"What?"

"You're not an insurance guy. I already talked to them. I heard you in the café with your two sons, Sam and Dean. You were talking about my family. One of you, Sam I think, said a demon killed my mother. Tell me who you are and why you're here." Liz let out in one breath.

"My name is John Winchester." John sighed as he loosened his tie.

"And what are you doing here?"

John sighed again. "We think something killed your parents."

"Not bears or an electrical fire?"

"No."

"I knew it."

"You did?"

"Have you ever just had a gut feeling? Like you just knew that something was wrong? That's what I mean."

"When you're mother died, what did your father say about it?"

"He said he was in shock, so he was delusional. He thought he saw her on the ceiling," Liz saw the look on John's face, "Oh my god. He wasn't delusional, was he? She was on the ceiling."

"Liz I want to be able to tell you that I can give you a lot of answers about your mother's death, but I can't. A demon killed her. The same one that killed my wife. I'm searching for it, and I'll kill it eventually."

"Do you think the same _demon_ killed my dad and brother?" She was still processing the fact that demons were real.

"No, I think it's a werewolf."

"A werewolf?!?! Are you insane?"

"Look at all the murders around here in the past few months. They are all in sync with the lunar cycle."

"Werewolves and demons are real. Why am I finding this so easy to believe?"

"I honestly have no idea." John said. He really was surprised by her easy reaction to all of this.

"Silver bullet to the hear will kill it? Just like the legend?"

"Yeah, just like the legend."

"So find it and shoot it."

"We're having some trouble with that, but you might be able to help. Would you be willing to do something for me?"

"Anything."

(Tell me what you think in a review! I'll update again this weekend! l8r, Nikki)


	3. Part 3

Anything But Normal

Part 3

Why would she agree to be bait? John thought it might lure the werewolf. Part of her wanted to brush off John as if he were a nutcase, but she had a feeling that she shouldn't.

She roamed down the street where all the other victims had been killed. She tucked a piece of her brown hair behind her ear. She was scared to death. She was actually hoping that John and his sons were just insane. Because if they were telling the truth, that would mean that she is willingly risking her life. She knew that the guys were hiding and watching her for when the thing attacks. That didn't really do much to comfort her though.

Out of nowhere, the thing jumped her from behind and tackled her to the ground. She kicked it in the stomach in a useless attempt to stop it from hurting her. She saw someone else's foot kick it in the face, distracting it from Liz. It was Dean. He and the werewolf exchanged a few punches before the werewolf threw him down on the asphalt next to Liz.

"Hey wolf boy!" John yelled.

"You okay Lizzie?" Dean asked, as John distracted the wolf.

"I think so." Liz replied. She was physically okay. But mentally was a completely different story. The whole demons-and-werewolves-exist thing didn't really sink in completely until just then.

"Stay down." Dean told her.

The heard a gunshot and saw the werewolf drop dead and revert back to human form. "Good job, Sammy." John said, "You two okay?"

"Yeah, a few cuts and bruises, but she'll be okay." Dean said as he helped Liz off the ground.

"Oh my god." Liz gasped.

"What?" Sam asked.

"That's Jim Clarkson. He worked with my dad."

"Liz, do you know if he had anything against your dad?" John asked.

"Yeah. They were both up for the same promotion at work."

"That's probably why."

Liz was silent. "Come on, I'll drive you home." Dean said.

John drove Sam home in his truck while Dean drove Liz home in the Impala.

"I think you should probably keep quiet about this little adventure."

"Really? Cause I thought everyone at school would love to hear about me meeting demon hunters and helping them kill a werewolf. They wouldn't think I'm insane at all." Liz said sarcastically.

"You're really okay with all of this?"

"Yeah, I guess. Maybe I've watched too many sci-fi movies or maybe I have a sixth sense. But I've always thought that something like this was out there. Don't get me wrong, though. It scared the crap out of me, but it wasn't shocking to me."

"You're taking this a lot better than most people. Most of them look at my family like we're on drugs when we tell them that they could be in danger because of something supernatural. You're sure that you'll be okay?"

"For the most part I'll be fine. I mean I'll never be able to watch Buffy the same way ever again, which is slightly disappointing, but I'll get over it."

Dean smiled. "Good. Call me if you ever need anything. Okay?" Dean handed Liz his new cell phone number as they pulled up in front of her apartment building.

"Alright," Liz was about to get out of the car when she said, "Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you, for everything."

"No problem. Goodbye Lizzie."

"Bye Dean." Liz got out of the car and went up to her apartment.

That night, Liz went to bed with her windows and doors lined with salt, knowing that he life would never again be the same.

(A/N: Tell me what you think!)


	4. Part 4

Anything But Normal

Part 4

"Bye, Liz. I'll call you tomorrow." Tessa said.

"Bye. Thanks again." Liz said as her friend closed the door to her new apartment.

Tessa had helped Liz move in. It was a small one bedroom apartment, but it was affordable. Liz went over to the closet to take out the box that she'd hidden from Tessa. She had no choice but to hide it. Liz was fairly sure that Tessa would have a lot of questions if she saw a box full of guns, knives, rock salt, and holy water. Though she'd never used them, she felt safer with them.

She went to get something to open the box with when she heard her stereo blasting Bon Jovi's new song 'Everyday.'

Liz jumped. How had it turned on? She didn't even plug it in yet. Her hand reached for the .45 in her back pocket. She quickly got a knife from the kitchen to open the box. She pulled out a shot gun and loaded it with rock salt. She slowly entered her bedroom, where the stereo was, with her gun raised. Liz didn't see anyone or anything. She lowered the gun and unplugged the stereo.

Liz walked back into her living room to see the television turn on and start flipping through channels on its own. She raised the gun again and gripped it tightly. Her heart was pounding.

She saw yellow post-its start to move by themselves to random places. She saw the figure of a man. She shot at it, but it disappeared too quickly.

She took out her address book and went to the last page. This was the page withy emergency numbers; Police Department, Fire Department, Hospital...and demon hunters.

Liz dialed the last number and it went straight to voicemail. "Hey, Dean. This is Liz Atwood. About three years ago you killed the werewolf that killed my dad and brother. You said to call if I ever needed anything, and I'm taking you up on that offer. I think my apartment is haunted. Just come as soon as you can." Liz gave her address and hung up the phone. She prayed that he would come soon.

Seattle, Washington

Dean hung up the phone after listening to his voicemail. He and John had just finished a job and were packing to leave.

"Dad, I don't think I can go to Atlanta with you."

"What the hell do you mean? 'You don't think you can go?' Where the hell are you gonna go?" John demanded.

"Remember the werewolf job in North Dakota we did a few years ago? The girl who we used as bait, Lizzie Atwood, just called me."

"You're leaving a job to get laid, Dean? Come on, what the hell are you thinking?" John scolded him.

"That's not it. Lizzie just called me because she thinks her apartment is haunted."

"Dean, you've never been on a hunt by yourself."

"I'm 22 years old, Dad. I've been doing this since I was a kid. You taught me. I know what I'm doing."

"You'll be careful?" John questioned.

"Yes, sir."

"You won't do anything stupid?"

"No, sir."

"You'll check in with me every few days?"

"Yes, sir."

"Alright. Call me if you need any help."

Dean smiled as he finished packing. His dad had kept a close eye on him, especially since Sam left a few months ago to go to Stanford.

Dean said goodbye to his dad and went out the door. John sighed. He knew that his son could handle the job on his own. He just hoped that Dean wouldn't want to go on his own permanently.

A/N: Tell me what you thought! I love feedback! Here's a little challenge: If three people pick up the references (there are two or three) to one of Jensen Ackles's other projects (besides Supernatural) then I'll update sometime during the middle of the week and next weekend. L8R, Nikki


	5. Part 5

Anything But Normal  
Part 5

_**Present Day**_

"What are you doing?" Liz questioned.

"Reading the newspaper." Dean said.

"Why?" she asked.

"I thought I'd catch up on my current events." Dean said.

"That's why you watch the five o'clock news. You don't like reading."

Dean looked up at her. "What are you getting at, Lizzie?"

"You've got two weeks off from work, and you're gonna go on a hunt." She knew that his hunting would never permanently stop. She accepted that...usually. He'd been working at the firehouse a lot since he was promoted to fire marshal, so he hadn't spent much time with Liz lately. When he said that he was taking two weeks off, Liz assumed that she would be spending time with him.

Dean looked back down at the paper without answering.

"Dean! What are you not telling me?"

Dean sighed. "Bobby called Sam. Sam called me. Bobby found something important."

"What do you want me to do, Dean? Beat it out of you?"

Dean sighed yet again. He knew that she wasn't gonna like this at all. "There have been three nursery fires within the past month."

The color drained from Liz's face.

_**2002**_

Four hours later Liz heard a knocking on her door. She opened it to see Dean Winchester. His hair was a bit darker and shorter. He also looked older. "Hi," Liz said.

"Hey, Lizzie. How've you been?"

"Pretty good up until I found out my new apartment was haunted. How about you?" she asked as she motioned for him to come inside.

"I'm okay. Holy shit." Dean said as he saw her kitchen counter. Eight steak knives were spinning on their points slowly.

"Yeah, it's been like that for half an hour."

"What else happened?"

Liz went through a whole list of things. Electronics turning on and off, post-its flying to random places, things turning up in places they weren't put, and such.

"Sounds like a poltergeist." Dean told her.

"Yeah I thought it was too. But I saw a man. He appears and disappears. I tried to shoot him with rocksalt but it only holds him off for a little bit."

"Yeah, poltergeists don't typically reveal themselves."

"I can never really get a good look at him. I could tell that he was in his sixties or seventies with grey hair, but that's about it."

"Did he ever directly attack you?"

"No yet. Well, actually once. I tried to put down the knives and then he threw them at me." Lis said as she pointed to the holes in the wall where the knives landed.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, just a scratch." Liz lifter up the sleeve of her t-shirt to show a cut. It was about an inch and a half long, but it wasn't deep.

"You're lucky it wasn't worse." Dean commented.

"So you have to salt and burn the body of the ghost, right?" Liz asked, trying to remember what Dean had told her a few years ago.

"Yeah, but I've gotta figure out who it is first."

"How? It's not like he'd be really willing to just tell you his name."

"No, he doesn't seem real talkative. I'm gonna go to the library, look up the history of the apartment building to see if anything weird happened, and go from there."

"BUT SOON YOU'LL BE FINDING

YOU CAN RUN, YOU CAN HIDE,

BUT YOU CAN'T ESCAPE MY LOVE." the radio started blasting.

"Seriously?!? Enrique Iglesias? Come on!" Liz yelled as she ran to turn it off. Dean followed with his shotgun in hand. "At least last time it was Black Sabbath."

"How many times has that happened?" he asked from the doorway.

"Four. First it was Bon Jovi, and then it was N'Sync."

"Is it trying to kill you with bad music?"

"Well, after that it played Black Sabbath, which isn't that bad. More importantly, what do you have against Bon Jovi?"

Dean was about to make some smart ass comment against Bon Jovi when suddenly the cord from the stereo pulled Liz to the ground and started strangling her.

"Lizzie!" Dean yelled. He ran over to he and skid the ground on his knees to stop himself. He took out his pocket knife and cut the cord. Both halves of the cord fell to the ground.

"You okay?" Dean asked as he helped Liz up while she coughed.

"Not really." Liz said rubbing her sore neck.

A/N: Okay, 3 things I have to mention. The first being the reference from last chapter. Apparently, no one on here got it, but people on other boards connected that I had part of the story set in Seattle in 2002. In 2002, Jensen Ackles was working on Dark Angel which was set in Seattle. Yeah, so I guess there aren't a whole lot of Dark Angel fans reading (or no one bothered to look for the clues).

Back to the current chapter. So I'm thinking about doing a look into the future every five chapters. I wish I could do it every chapter, but I know that I wouldn't have nearly enough to write. Do you guys like the idea? Let me know what you think.

On another note, sorry for the late update! The site wouldn't let me upload the new chapters. So you guys get two new chapters at once!

As always, I'm a feedback whore. I live off of it. Sad, yet true. Please review.


	6. Part 6

Anything But Normal  
Part 6

"Come on, we should get the hell out of here." Dean said as he helped Liz off of the floor.

"You're right." Liz said as she grabbed her jacket to leave.

"Where's the nearest library?" Dean asked.

They drove in the Impala for ten minutes to the library. They sat at computers looking up the history of Anderson Apartments.

"All I can get is that it was originally Cooper apartments, but was renamed after some mayor from the 70's, Joseph Anderson." Dean said, running his hands through his hair.

"Yeah, same here. Nothing weird. Or maybe that's a clue. Maybe we shouldn't be looking into the apartment's history." Liz suggested.

"We might find something in Anderson's history."

"Exactly." Liz smiled.

"You look up his life. Where he lived, who he was married to, and that kind of stuff. I'll look up where and how he died." Dean told her.

An hour later they compared results.

"All it says is that he was found dead in his bedroom by his wife. He died of a heart attack."

"He sounds fine. Married to Shelly Levine for forty years. She died shortly after he did of natural causes. He had no kids, a happy childhood, and a white picket fence kind of life."

"Dead end." Dean sighed.

"Or not." Liz said, looking at her computer screen with interest.

"Care to share, Nancy Drew?"

"It says here that before Anderson was into politics, he had a construction job as a teenager for one summer."

"He built the building." Dean assumed.

"Bingo. So if I'm Nancy Drew does that make you one of the Hardy Boys?"

"You can't compare me to one of the Hardy Boys. I'm more like James Bond. Sexy, cunning, mysterious. Did I mention sexy?" Dean smirked.

Liz rolled her eyes, "Yeah, you already mentioned that one, Mr. Bond."

Dean smiled, "Alright, let's find out where this son of a bitch was buried."

"Greenwood Cemetery. It's about twenty minutes outside of town."

"Alright, I'll go after dark."

"I'm coming with you."

"Lizzie, look you've never done this before. I–" he started.

Liz cut him off, "Look, I seem to keep running into supernatural things and while, yes they do happen to scare the crap out of me, I want to have some idea of what to do next time something like this happens."

"You really think there will be a next time?" Dean asked.

"You think I put a freaking arsenal in my closet for fun?"

"Look, if you really want to go with me, you've gotta know that this isn't about playing Buffy. It's gonna be dangerous."

"Dean it's just burning a body. Compared to a spirit throwing knives at my head and trying to strangle me, I don't think it'll be that bad."

After Dark...

Dean and Liz were driving to the cemetery. "So, earlier when you were talking about Anderson you said he lived a 'white picket fence kind of life.' You kind of sounded a little bitter about it." Dean said.

"I just hate that idea. Working a nine to five job, and having a nice green lawn with a white picket fence."

"Makes you want to puke?"

"Yeah basically."

"Hey, I'm with you all the way."

"Do you think that if we weren't brought up the way we were that it would be different?"

"What do you mean?" they pulled up to the cemetery and stopped.

"I mean, we were both raised by single dads, and we both knew about supernatural stuff when we were really young. Obviously I was older than you were, but still." she said as they took out the shovels, salt, and gasoline and they began looking for Anderson's grave. "So do you think it would be different? Do you think we'd want the white picket fence?"

"I don't know. I mean, I guess it would be normal for us. I guess we probably would. That thought freaks me out." Dean said. He was relatively content with the life he led. He couldn't imagine ever wanting to live that life.

"Yeah me too."

"There's the grave." Dean pointed out.

A few hours later, Dean and Liz were both in their t-shirts with their jackets on top of a nearby headstone. They were both sweating by the time they had finished digging six feet into the ground.

"It's good enough. We can break the top of the coffin from here." Dean said.

He gave Liz a push up so that she could get out of the grave. Liz went to go bring over the salt and gasoline.

Dean used the shovel to break open the casket. "Holy shit. Lizzie, I think we've got a problem!" Dean yelled up.

"What's wrong?" Liz asked as she put down the container of gasoline.

"There's no body."

A/N: Did you like the cliffhanger I gave ya there?


	7. Part 7

Anything But Normal

Part 7

"What the hell do you mean there's no body?"

"I mean there's no body. Empty casket." Dean climbed out of the grave.

"Why would anyone bury an empty casket?" Liz asked.

"I don't know. Closure or something." Dean shrugged. He didn't really get it either.

"So what happened in the first place? They said he died of natural causes. Why wouldn't they put his body in the casket?"

"I don't know. We must've missed something." Dean said.

"The library's closed." Liz said checking her watch. It was 3 in the morning.

"Yeah, I know. Look, I...I don't think it's safe for you to stay in your apartment. I want you to stay at my motel room."

Liz hesitated, "Dean, I can't–"

"I'm not trying to get in your pants. 'Your apartment is haunted and you'll probably die in your sleep if you stay there. Come stay with me at the motel.' isn't the best pick up line. Believe me, I have much better ones."

"Alright. As long as you don't try anything funny."

"Scout's honor." Dean said. Liz doubted that he was ever a boy scout.

Liz had gone back to her apartment for five minutes just to get a change of clothes. She narrowly escaped a glass being thrown at her.

Now she was in Dean's motel room wearing a fitted blue tank top and black pajama pants.

"Alright," Dean said coming out of the bathroom in his black boxers and white t-shirt, "I get the couch, you get the bed."

"Dean, do you do this for all the people you help?" Liz asked.

"No, I have to say you're the first."

"Why?"

"I'm trying to keep you safe. That's all." Dean said.

Liz walked over to the couch where Dean was getting ready for bed. She pressed her lips against his. "Thank you." she said.

"It's my job. It's not a big deal." Dean said.

"It is to me." Liz said.

Two voices in the back of his head were arguing. Voice number one said not to get involved. He'd be gone within a day or two. He had to get back to his dad. Voice number two was telling him to throw her down on the bed and do everything he wanted to do to Liz since the day he tried hitting on her in the coffee shop.

"I thought you said no funny stuff." Dean said. He was still deciding which voice would win.

"Sometimes I like funny." That was the reply that made voice number two win. Dean gabbed her face and kissed her while Liz pushed him down onto the bed.

A/N: Well, they got together. Too soon? I was debating that the whole time I was writing the chapter. Tell me what you think. :)


	8. Part 8

Anything But Normal

Part 8

Liz tried to slip out of bed without waking Dean. She went over to the couch, where her bag was, to get dressed. As she finished getting dressed, she turned around to see Dean, still in bed, watching her.

"How long have you been watching me?" Liz asked.

"Not nearly as long as I wish I had." Dean grinned.

Liz blushed and smiled, "I'm gonna go get some coffee. You want some?"

"Yeah, thanks."

Liz went to grab her purse when Dean pulled her down to him and kissed her. She smiled, "I'll be back in a little bit."

As Liz walked over to the coffee shop across the street, she began to question if she should've slept with Dean. They slept together, but did that mean anything to him? Does he just expect them to be friends now? Or friends with benefits? Or maybe he wants to start dating her. She wondered if Dean had ever actually dated a girl before. Should she ask him?

There were so many questions in her mind that she wondered if sleeping with him would be a regret later on. How on earth could any good come of sleeping with a guy you barely know? How could any good come of sleeping with a guy who would be leaving town in a few days? Well, he had been the guy to save her life, on more than one occasion. He also had been the one who was going to willingly let her take the bed while he slept on the uncomfortable couch. And the sex had been _amazing_. Liz decided not to worry about it until later.

After Liz left, Dean decided to get out of bed and get dressed. Afterwards he took out his cell phone. It rang several times before there was an answer.

"Yeah?"

"Dad? It's Dean."

"Dean, how's the hunt?"

"A pain in the ass. There was no body in the coffin. Now we've gotta so more research today."

"We?" John questioned.

"Yeah, me and Lizzie."

"She's helping you?"

"Yeah, she wouldn't take no for an answer. She thinks that there'll be more supernatural incidents in her life, so she wants experience in hunting." Dean explained.

"Good."

"Really? You believe that there will be more things coming after her in the future?"

"I don't know, but this is her third. It's rare for people to even have one when they don't go out looking for it. So I think it's likely."

"Third? I thought it was just the werewolf and now a spirit. Where's the third?" Dean asked, confused.

"Dean, the demon killed her mother." Dean was silent. "So you don't know how much longer you're gonna be there?" John asked.

"No, I've got no idea." Dean sighed.

"Well then I'll let you get to your research. Be careful." he said sternly.

"Yes, sir." Dean said as he hung up the phone. He'd completely forgotten that Liz's mother was killed by the demon.

Liz came through the door. "Here's your coffee she said as she put both of their coffees down on the coffee table.

Dean grabbed her and kissed her passionately. Liz's body tensed she wasn't expecting it, but within seconds she relaxed and wrapped her arms around Dean's neck. When they finally pulled apart, which wasn't for quite a while, Liz asked, "What was that for?"

"I thought it was better than a normal thank you." Dean smirked.

Yes, it was definitely better than a normal thank you. Even Dean Winchester's thank you's were anything but normal.

A/N: Feedback is my cocaine. Help my addiction? Please?


	9. Part 9

Anything But Normal

Part 9

NOTE: No, this isn't the end. It might feel like it, but it isn't. We're only about half way through the story.

Later that day, Dean and Liz were at the library. "What was the original name of the apartment buildings?" Dean asked.

"Um, something with a C. Carlson, no...Copper, no. Cooper. Yeah, that's it, Cooper. Why?"

"Maybe we should look into Cooper instead of Anderson." Dean suggested.

An hour later, they still hadn't found much that would lead them to believe that Cooper was haunting the apartments. "So far, I've only found that Nathan Cooper was an architect back in the day. He died of a stroke about a month ago. That's it. Nothing suspicious." Liz said.

"I think I might've found something. Cooper ran for mayor the same year Anderson did." Dean said.

"So Cooper's haunting the apartments because not only was his name taken off of them and replaced with Anderson's, but because he lost a stupid election thirty years ago?"

"Some people just really don't know how to let things go."

"Alright, where's he buried?"

"Rowling Cemetery. It's about an hour outside of town."

On the way to the cemetery, they got slightly lost. It took Liz half an hour to get Dean to pull over and ask for directions. They stopped at a small shop. In was the only thing they'd seen in five miles.

The shopkeeper was slightly odd. She was a short elderly woman with her long gray hair braided down her back. Dean asked for directions as Liz eyed a certain necklace.

"Thanks." Dean said after the woman finished giving him directions.

The woman saw Liz checking out the necklace. "It's an ancient Egyptian charm for protection."

Dean was already half way out of the store. "Come on, Lizzie."

"I'm coming." Liz said grabbing the necklace and dropping a ten dollar bill on the counter. "Keep the change."

After they got back in the car, Liz gave Dean the necklace. "Seriously? Jewelry? I'll look like a chick."

"No, you won't. It's a very manly necklace. Plus, it's supposedly used for protection."

"I am perfectly good at protecting myself."

"It wouldn't hurt for you to have a little extra help, and guys who wear jewelry are sexy." Liz said.

Dean gave in and put the necklace on. It actually looked pretty authentic. It was a golden head with horns on a black cord. "Do I look sexier now?" Dean asked.

"Much." Liz smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

That night, Liz and Dean dug up Cooper's grave. As they were digging they talked a bit. "So why aren't your dad and brother here?" Liz asked.

"My dad is on a different hunt. Sam...he's going to college at Stanford."

"Does he still hunt?"

"I don't know. I doubt it. He wants to be Joe College. Nice and normal." Dean dug his shovel into the ground a bit harder than necessary.

"Sound like you don't keep in touch much."

"He doesn't like hunting. That's the life my dad and I are happy with leading. When he told my dad that he got a full ride to Stanford and he was going...he wasn't thrilled."

"You know that you're family is rather odd, right?"

"Sammy turned his back on his family. He abandoned us. He should've stayed with the people who needed him." Dean dug his shovel in way harder than necessary.

Liz hadn't realized what a harsh subject this was for him when she first asked. "Maybe he needs a little time away to realize that he needs you too."

Dean gave a small smile at her attempt to make him feel better. They dug the rest of the grave in silence. They salted and burned the body, and Dean drove her back to her apartment.

They slowly opened the door. The knives that had been spinning the day before were now lying flat on the counter top. All electronics were turned off. Dean did a walk through of her apartment, making sure that it wasn't still haunted. "Congratulations, you're apartment is officially no longer haunted." Dean said.

"Thank you." Liz said, as she finished cleaning up broken glass off the hardwood floor from when the ghost threw a glass at her.

"No problem, Lizzie."

"So, do you have to leave soon?" Liz asked, secretly dreading the answer.

"Yeah, I'm going to head out in the morning." Dean said.

"So I guess this is goodbye." Liz said disappointedly. In the back of her mind, she knew that there could never be anything long term between them. She'd just chosen to ignore that fact.

"Yeah I guess it is." Dean tilted her head up towards him and kissed her.

"You know, you really need a shower," Liz told him as they pulled apart, "and I know that the shower in your room is always cold, so you can shower here if you want."

"Thanks," Dean grinned as he slid his arms around her waist, "You know what I heard recently? That everyone needs to conserve water to help save the earth. So I strongly feel that we should shower together."

"Well if it'll help save the earth, I guess we have no choice." Liz smiled as she led him to the bathroom.

Later that night, Dean had fallen asleep in Liz's queen sized bed. His arm was draped over her waist. That was the first time Liz realized how she felt with Dean. Safe. She hadn't felt safe in a long time. Ever since her father was killed, she'd been afraid of something coming after her. In Dean's arms though, she finally felt safe.

The next morning Liz woke up and didn't see Dean in bed. She had a feeling that he wasn't in the apartment at all. She pulled her blue comforter up around her and checked the apartment anyways. Her feeling was right, as it always was. He was long gone.

Dean was on the road in the middle of Idaho when he started to wonder if he should've said goodbye to Liz. He originally decided not to because he thought that she would make him want to stay. Now he wasn't sure. He put the thought in the back of his mind as he picked up the phone to call John. "Hey, dad. The hunt's done. Where are you?"

"I'm in Palo Alto." John said.

"How is he?" Dean asked, knowing that he was watching Sam.

"He looks happy. I think he has a girlfriend."

"Good, maybe he won't be so uptight." Dean said, "I can make it to Palo Alto by tonight."

"See you then." John said.

A/N: Sorry for the delay. I really meant to post this a few days ago. But then the necklace idea popped up, and then I had to proofread, and then I had to make the graphic (well, if you're reading this on ff. net, you don't get the graphic, but if you guys would like to see them I'll message you with a link). Anyways, I finally got it posted and that's what's important. Now I need to start focusing on Pirate Blood again. I have to finish that story (three years is just too long).

Anyways, feedback is the Adam to my Eve. The Sonny to my Cher. The Ashton to my Demi. The Impala to my Dean. In other words...just tell me what ya think! 


	10. Part 10

Anything But Normal

Part 10

_**Present Day**_

"When did Bobby call?" Liz asked.

"A little over three weeks ago," Dean sighed, "After the first."

"You've known for a month about this?" Liz was starting to get pissed.

"I haven't been that busy at work. I've been looking into this case." Dean confessed.

"You what?!? How the hell could you keep this from me Dean?!?" Liz yelled.

"I didn't want to worry you incase it was nothing."

"Dean, you've known since the first. After three attacks you finally decide to tell me?" Liz was trying to keep her voice at an even level.

"We've never had anything to check out before. The first two burned to the ground completely and there wasn't anything left. They were able to contain the fire this time. There are still remains for us to check out there. We can check for sulfur."

"You think the yellow-eyed demon would be powerful? After escaping eight years of hell, literally?" Dean looked away. "What are you keeping from me now?"

Dean looked back at her. "Sammy figured out how to hack into the police computer database last week. All of the police reports had something listed that wasn't released to the public. They all found a black, thick substance."

"Ectoplasm?"

"We think so."

"I can't believe you never told me any of this, Dean."

"I know you're angry– "

Angry? Try pissed as hell!"

"Liz – "

"Don't bother, Dean. Just leave me alone right now." Liz took her coffee and walked out of the kitchen.

_**Summer 2005**_

"Ugh, I hate my hair." said a frustrated girl, pulling at her blonde curls in the car mirror.

"I love your hair." said her loving boyfriend who was driving the car.

"It's too frizzy."

"It's perfect." he said, as he came to a stop at the red light and kissed her cheek.

"Aren't you supposed to be nervous?" she asked.

"It's your cousin. I already met your parents, Jess. That was the one I was nervous about."

"Yeah, but she's more like my sister, really. I grew up with her in North Dakota until my family moved to San Diego when I was 14. You have to make a good impression on her, Sam."

"You're the one who's nervous," Sam laughed, "Jessica, when have I ever not made a good impression?"

"Never, but Liz is very...different."

"Different? Like mentally challenged 'different'?"

Jess smacked his arm, "That's not what I meant."

"Well then be a little clearer about what you do mean."

"I may have completely embarrassed her by interrogating her boyfriend the first time I met him, so she might do the same thing to you." she cringed at the thought.

"Why would you do that?" Sam sighed. He didn't like being interrogated. It made him uncomfortable.

"She doesn't have her family. Her parents and brother died when she was really young, and she only has me and I think an aunt on her dad's side of the family that she used to live with. I was trying to look out for her."

Sam smiled. He knew that her intentions were good. "I'm sure I can handle whatever she throws at me." Sam smiled, "Tell me a little bit about her, so I can honestly say 'I've heard so much about you,' and not be lying through my teeth."

"I've told you about her." Jessica said.

"Yeah, she's an orphan and you grew up with her. Great conversation starters."

"Liz started UCLA last year. She's a sophomore there now. She took a year off after high school, during that time she managed a coffee shop. She now lives in Los Angeles with her boyfriend, Gavin Young. Now, I don't currently have a record of her parking tickets, but I could get one if you'd like."

"Maybe later," Sam smiled, "So does she major in business management?"

"No, mythology. Don't ask me why. She apparently got really into it as a teenager."

"And what's her last name?"

"Atwood."

'Liz Atwood,' Sam thought, 'why does that sound so familiar?'

Liz was in the bathroom fixing her hair. She'd recently gotten it cut very short, just below her chin. She was still deciding if she liked it. "Do you like my hair short?" Liz asked her boyfriend.

"For the millionth time, yes. I love your hair. It's cute." Gavin said.

Liz looked at Gavin he was just over 6 feet tall. His dark hair was the same length Liz's was, if not a bit longer. He was very tan from his surf lessons he gave part time. He also worked at a music shop full time. He had to work two jobs (while Liz worked as a bartender at a nightclub part time and still went to college full time) to keep their apartment. He didn't mind though. He just felt lucky enough to have two jobs that he loves.

Their apartment wasn't cheap, but it was considered a good deal in Los Angeles. It wasn't very big, but it had enough space for them. Liz decided not to worry about her hair as she put her brush down on the white bathroom counter top. "Babe, have you see my shoes?" Liz called to him in the kitchen from the living room. She looked under the brown couch and wooden coffee table.

"Which ones?" he called back.

"The white cork espadrille peep-toe wedges."

"I have absolutely no idea what that means, but if they're white and brown with lace up things, they're in here."

"Thank you," she said coming into the kitchen, "Smells good. Fajitas?"

"Yep." Gavin answered. Liz loved his Texas accent. He grew up in Austin but moved around as a teenager so it wasn't really a thick accent. "So you promise she won't interrogate me this time?"

"I promise."

"Do you get to interrogate her boyfriend now?"

"No, I think if I'm really nice to him it might make her feel more guilty."

"You're evil." Gavin smiled.

"Yet brilliant. Asking if you had a criminal record was totally uncalled for."

"At least you know she cares about you."

Liz straightened her white sundress. "Yeah, I know."

Liz practically sprinted toward the door when she heard a knock. "Jess!" The two girls immediately hugged each other.

"Liz, oh my god, I missed you so much!" The girls finally let go of each other. "This is Sam."

Liz shook his hand as he tried to figure out where she knew him from. He looked so familiar.

Over dinner, Sam was trying to hide the fact that he was starring at Liz. He felt like he'd met her before.

"So where did you grow up, Sam?" Gavin asked.

"I was born in Kansas, but I moved around a lot because my dad was in the service. What about you?"

"Austin, Texas, until I was about ten. My dad was in the service too."

"What about you, Liz?" Sam asked.

"Richmond, North Dakota. I only moved out here to LA a year or two ago.

"Yeah, Jess told me you study mythology at UCLA."

"Yeah, she's always got these weird books lying around because of it. I still don't get it."

"It's interesting." Liz told him.

"Just as long as you don't go looking for werewolves or to kill or anything." Jessica joked.

"I don't plan to." Liz said. _'It sucked enough the first time, I'm not doing it again.'_ she thought.

Sam suddenly had a flashback. He was around 15 and sitting in a crappy motel room. He remembered his dad bringing in the waitress from the café. "Dean, Sammy, I want you to me Liz. She's gonna help us with killing the werewolf." Suddenly Sam remembered why he knew Liz. He wished he hadn't.

"Let me take your plates into the kitchen." Liz said, snapping Sam out of his thoughts.

"Thanks." Sam said.

"I'll help you." Jess took the other plates into the kitchen.

As the rinsed off the dishes, they could still hear Sam and Gavin's conversation. "Sam, I don't think I caught your last name."

"Winchester."

"Like the rifle?"

"Yeah, exactly." Liz dropped her plate on the floor.

"Liz are you okay?" Jess asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Hey are you guys alright? We heard something shatter." Sam asked walking into the kitchen with Gavin following closely behind.

"Yeah, I'm just a klutz. Don't worry about it." Liz said, picking up the pieces of glass.

"You sure you're okay, babe?" Gavin asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Liz said as she finished picking up all of the shattered glass. "I'm gonna go outside for some air. I'll be back in a few minutes." Liz grabbed her denim jacket and headed out the door.

As soon as she closed the door she took a deep breath. She lit a cigarette. It was a nasty habit, she knew that, but she didn't do it often. Only when she started to feel like she should tell Gavin that when she comes home from a late night of working at the bar, the bruises aren't because she's a klutz. They're from demons.

Liz sat down on the stairs of her apartment building. She heard Sam come up behind her and sat down on the step next to her. "Lizzie Atwood."

"Sammy Winchester."

"It's Sam."

"It's Liz."

"Fair enough."

"I'm surprised you remembered me."

"Yeah, I spent the last two hours trying to figure out who you were. When Jess mentioned the werewolves...something just clicked in my head."

"I dropped the plate when I heard your last name."

"I guess I can't really blame you for not wanting to see me."

"What? No, Sam, that isn't it. I'm glad that I met you and your family. I can't even explain how happy I am about that. You guys saved my life."

"Then why did you rush out of there? Was the Nicotine craving that bad?" Sam questioned.

"I only smoke when I feel guilty that I've never told Gavin about everything." Liz explained.

"I know the feeling. But he would never understand."

"I know, but I just hate lying to him. He never keeps secrets. He goes on about how great it is that he has an honest girlfriend. All I want to tell him is that I'm a lying bitch who doesn't deserve him." Liz dropped her head into her hands.

Sam put an arm around her. "We're just trying to keep them safe. There isn't anything wrong with that." Sam told her, not sure if he was trying to make Liz or himself feel better.

After a few minutes Liz was calmer, and they went back inside. "Are you okay, Liz?" Jessica asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just needed some air. Let's go eat dessert. There's this amazing bakery around the corner from here that we got a cherry pie from."

As they ate cherry pie, the subject of school came up again. "So you're studying pre-law, right Sam?" Liz asked.

"Yeah."

"Do you like it?"

"For the most part, yeah. It's great."

"Sam could never study something like mythology. He's too much of a realist." Jess said.

"Really?" Liz asked.

"I guess I'm just not afraid of things that go bump in the night." Sam said.

While they were alone in the living room getting ready to go to sleep on the pullout couch, Jess questioned Sam. "What did you two talk about when you went outside earlier?"

"Nothing important. Just the beach. We should go sometime before we leave." Sam lied.

"That's all?"

"Jess, I love you, but you are way too over protective of Liz. She's pretty good at taking care of herself."

"You just met her. How do you know?"

"She seems like it. Especially considering she basically grew up on her own."

"Are you sure she seemed okay?" Jessica sighed.

"Yes." Sam kissed her forehead as they went to sleep.

A/N: FINALLY! It's done! 7 pages, which is about 3 times more than what I usually do. That should make up for the hiatus. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Sorry that it's going to be a little Dean-less temporarily. Don't worry, you'll see him again soon! As always, leave me feedback. I need it. I live for it. I thrive off of it! I'll update again this weekend! L8R, Nikki


	11. Part 11

Anything But Normal

Part 11

Gavin screamed. Liz could see the fear on his face. Gavin was screaming for Liz's help. His body was pinned to the ceiling. Flames erupted.

Liz shot up in bed, wiping the cold sweat off of her forehead. She looked down next to her and let out a sigh of relief at the sight of Gavin, safe and sound.

Liz walked into the kitchen. She saw Sam sitting at the counter with a glass of cold water. "Dreams again?" she asked.

"Yeah. You?" he asked. They'd met this way the previous night, too.

"Yep. I guess seeing each other brings up some old fears." Liz assumed.

"Yeah, I guess. You've never had the dreams before?"

"No, not until I saw you."

"Why didn't you get them when you saw Dean?" Sam questioned. Liz and Sam had talked about a lot last night. Liz's run in with Dean was among them.

"I don't know. I didn't really have a boyfriend to worry about. How long have you had them?"

"A week."

"Maybe you should call your brother."

"What? No, Dean hates me."

"He doesn't hate you. He misses you."

"What would I tell him, Liz? 'Dean I had a bad dream. Hide me from the monsters under my bed?' like I'm five again?"

"I was thinking something more like 'Dean, I had a recurring nightmare about the demon that our dad's been hunting for over 20 years, and I kinda don't wanna see my girlfriend on the ceiling for real. So is it just me, or do you have the same dreams, and it's all just because we all have the same subconscious fear from being traumatized as a child?'"

"First off, how the hell did you fit all of that into just two sentences? Two, Dean's never had a girlfriend to worry about. Three, no."

"What do you mean he's never had a girlfriend? He's like 26 years old."

"Dean doesn't do relationships. Just one night stands."

Something about that made Liz feel uneasy. She didn't know why. She hadn't seen him in over three years. It wasn't like they'd kept in touch at all. Hell, he hadn't even said goodbye to her.

Sam waved a hand in front of her face. "Liz, you still here?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Just spaced out. You should still call him."

"I know you're trying to be nice and fix this, Liz, but don't. It's a waste."

"You two will be good friends again one day."

"You have hunting."

"I don't hunt anymore."

"I have a feeling you will."

"Whatever you say, Liz."

The next day was Friday. Liz wasn't working until night time. Gavin was at the music shop, and Jessica was at an interview for med school at UCLA (which was the main reason Sam and Jess were there). Liz and Sam were both in the apartment. "Hey, do you wanna come to the boardwalk with me?" Sam asked.

"I can't. I have an errand to run, but if you wanna come with me, we can go after." Liz told him.

"Sure. What kind of errand?"

"You'll see." Liz smiled.

A/N: So what did you think? It's short, but it was either that or no update this week. Plus, it gives a nice closing to open the next chapter with. I know, you all want some of Dean, but at least we talk about him here. Anyways, help my addiction and review please!


	12. Part 12

Anything But Normal

Part 12

Liz pulled her black 2005 Cavalier into the driveway of a small house. She took out her bag and handed Sam a small device, the size of a walkman. "Why do I think this looks like an EMF meter?" Sam asked.

"Because you wouldn't have gotten a full ride to Stanford if you were stupid." Liz replied.

"Liz, I was serious before. I don't hunt anymore." Sam replied firmly.

"You really just stand by and watch when you hear about strange murders? You can just let innocent people die, knowing that you could be stopping it?"

"Liz, you got into this because you wanted to. I was forced to. I didn't get a choice."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night. Look, I've just gotta run an EMF meter over the house to make sure it really is haunted. I'll take twenty minutes, if that. Stay here if you want."

"I'm not letting you go alone. How are we getting in?" Sam said.

"Picking the lock." Liz told him, pulling out tools to pick a lock out of her pocket, "They're at work, and the house has no alarm system, so we should be alright."

As they entered the house Sam asked, "So why do we think this place is haunted?"

"Charles Maxwell died in this house six months ago. Since then his sons and grandsons, who also live here, keep dying. They were suffocated in their sleep."

"Why would he kill his family?"

"He begged not to b put in a nursing home, but his sons did it anyway. They never visited or anything. Just left him there to die. He's still pissed about it." Liz told him.

"Damn. Sulfur." Sam said going over to the window sill.

"Yep, the EMF is going crazy. He's definitely still here. Let's go." Liz said.

"So what do we do now?" sam asked, as they drove to the beach.

"I'm gonna salt and burn his body tonight." Liz said.

"What're you gonna tell Gavin?"

"That I have a shift at the bar. Which I do. I'm just leaving out the part where I salt and burn his body afterwards."

After they got to the boardwalk Sam asked for Liz's help picking out a present for Jessica. "Do you think she'd like this" Sam asked, holding up a necklace with a simple rose quartz stone.

"I never know if she's gonna like what I get her. I can never tell if she's just lying so I don't feel

bad."

"It's pretty hard to go wrong with jewelry. Now if only I could convey that to my boyfriend."

"What did he get you?"

"A toaster." Sam laughed.

"A toaster?" Sam asked between laughs.

"A toaster. Oh, not just any toaster, either. Oh no, he got me the toast-o-rama 5000. It comes with a lovely carrying case for travel, 7 different pans, and so many buttons that I can't even figure out how to toast anything. Exactly what a girl wants for her 22nd birthday."

"Note to self: no toasters." Sam said.

"Come on, Gavin and Jess are gonna be back soon."

A little while later, Liz was lying on her bed when she heard Gavin come in. "Hey." Liz greeted him with a smile.

"Hi." Gavin said before leaning down to kiss her gently.

"When do you leave for work?" he asked, lying on the bed with her.

Liz looked at the clock. It would be dark soon. "Ten minutes." she sighed.

"You have to work on Jess and Sam's last night here?"

"Yeah, Todd won't let me have off. Why? Are you still afraid of Jessica?" Liz asked teasingly.

"No...maybe." Gavin said sheepishly.

"You shouldn't be. Plus, Sam's here."

"No, he's going to some museum exhibit. Jess is gonna stay here. I don't blame her. Sounds boring as hell."

"Yeah, well, he's a good guy. Maybe a bit of a dork, but he's a good guy overall. And he's good for Jess." Liz wondered about the supposed exhibit.

"Yeah, they seem to really be in love with each other." Gavin commented.

"Jess wants to marry him."

"Really? Like in the near future?"

"Yeah, Sam told me he's already looked at engagement rings."

"Do you ever think about getting married?"

"Yes...and then I resist the urge to vomit. Marriage is just not for me."

"I still don't get it. Why don't you want to get married?" This wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation. This was the...geez, she couldn't even keep track of how many times they discussed this.

"The idea of committing to one person for the rest of your life. I just don't get why."

"Because they love each other."

"So what's wrong with just telling someone that you love them? There doesn't have to be a whole big deal made about it. Especially considering most people get divorced anyway."

"You have commitment issues."

"I moved to another state to move in with some guy I'd only been dating for a couple of months. I have commitment issues?"

"So it isn't that you don't want to be with me? You just don't want marriage?"

"Exactly."

"Then promise me something?"

"Anything."

"Promise me that you'll be with me until the day I die?"

"I promise." Gavin kissed her. Liz felt odd about making that promise. She knew that there was a damn good chance that she'd die before he even came close.

"I love you."

"I love you too. Crap." Liz said as she checked the time. "I have to leave."

Gavin kissed her again. "Bye."

"Bye."

It was a warm summer night. Liz was wearing just a tank top and shorts to stay cool. Liz began to dig up the grave while thinking about her relationship. Gavin was a great guy. She really did love him. Yet she couldn't help feeling like something wasn't right. It wasn't that anything was wrong with him. He was almost perfect. Almost. He just didn't make her feel safe. He made her feel more insecure about her life. He didn't ever intend to do this. He probably never even realized it. But she always felt like she was going to put him in danger. She really wanted that feeling to go away. She wanted to feel safe. Gavin just wasn't...Dean.

Where did that come from? Liz didn't want to leave Gavin for Dean or anything. She wouldn't do that. Especially considering she's technically only spent a total of about a week with Dean. But she felt like she knew him. He was the only person that she felt safe with. Yes, Sam was there, and she was grateful that she had him. He had made her feel more comfortable, as if she didn't need to hide anything. But it wasn't the safety she felt with Dean.

She couldn't even understand why she felt that way about Dean. It wasn't as if he'd done so much. She'd saved people too. They didn't feel like that towards her. He wasn't the first guy she slept with. She just didn't get it. Part of her was starting to become glad that Sam was leaving. Maybe if Sam was gone, she'd stop thinking about Dean.

Liz's thoughts were interrupted when she saw a beam of light from someone else's flashlight.

"Interesting museum exhibit?" she called.

"Oh, yeah. I get to see a real dead body and everything."

"You didn't have to come, Sam." she told him as he took off his American Eagle polo, leaving him in a wife beater and jeans.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay." Sam explained as he started digging with he.

"I've been doing this a few years now. I'm fine."

"I've been doing this my whole life. I have more experience and knowledge."

"Sam you haven't done this in years. You're rusty. What are demon repellants?" Liz challenged.

"Salt and Iron."

"EMF stands for?"

"Electromagnetic Field."

"What substances do demons leave behind?"

"Sulfur or Ectoplasm."

"Ectoplasm?"

"Not as smart as we thought, now are we?" Sam smirked.

"Alright, fine. You aren't that bad." Liz rolled her eyes. "Now what's Ectoplasm?"

"Thank you. If the demon is really powerful, it won't leave sulfur behind. It'll leave Ectoplasm. It's this black, thick, good stuff. You probably won't ever see it. I've only seen it once or twice."

"Weird."

"I think we've hit the casket." Sam said as he tapped his shovel on the wooden top.

Sam got out of the grave to get the salt and gasoline while Liz broke the coffin open.

As the body was burning, they stood by drinking two bottles of beer to cool themselves down.

"So how was Dean when you saw him?" Sam finally asked. He'd wanted to ask her for a while now.

"He was good. I told him not to be mad at you."

"So he is mad at me."

"He thinks you abandoned him and John."

"Going to law school is not abandonment."

"I know that, but Dean doesn't get why. He's never wanted normal."

"And what about you? Do you want normal?"

"I don't think I'd ever be able to have a normal life."

"Doesn't answer the question, Liz. Do you want it?"

"No, Sam. I don't want that life. I'd a semi-normal life. A life that doesn't involve lying to everyone I love. A life where I can get married and not worry that a demon will kill my husband. What I really want is a life that involves helping people. I save lives everyday. I like that life. It might not be ideal, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Is that a sufficient answer to your question?"

"Yes, very."

A/N: This was hardly edited or proofread, so please ignore errors. I just really wanted to get this up for you guys tonight. I hope you all liked it. Good news for those of you craving your Dean fix. This is the last chapter that focuses on just Sam and Liz's friendship. We bring back...someone next chapter. I'm not saying that it's Dean (though it could be), I'm just saying that most people love him (or at least I do.) I'll get the next chapter up early next week. As always, I'm a feedback whore. Let me know what you think!


	13. Part 13

Anything But Normal

Part 13

**September 5, 2005**

Everything had gone off without a hitch. Sam and Jess had left the next day. Months had gone by, and Liz still kept in touch with Sam quite a bit. She'd often get calls in the middle of the night from him, asking if she'd gotten another dream. She'd told him that it was over for her.

The problem was, she wasn't sure if they were over for her. The previous night, Liz had just gotten off the phone with Jessica and went to sleep when she had a dream. It felt the same way the dream of Gavin had. Only she wasn't burning on a ceiling. When Liz had normal dreams, she usually couldn't remember them clearly. This was perfectly clear in her memory.

"Who are you?" Jessica had asked a dark figure standing in her bedroom. She was about to reach for the baseball bat that Sam kept on the side of the bed until the man waved his hand and bat flew out of her reach. "Oh my God."

"Not exactly the term I'd use, sweetheart." The man said. He had yellow eyes. Liz had never seen the demon, but somehow she knew it was him.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"Well, there's a long list for that. However, at the moment, I want you out of the way." Jessica stepped to the side, unblocking the door. The demon laughed. "That's not exactly what I meant, Jessica."

"How do you know my name?" she asked in a low, scared voice. Her breathing was uneven. She was scared to death.

"I like to keep tabs on the kids. Thing is, Jess, may I call you Jess? Sammy and Lizzie and everyone else uses it so often, I assume you don't mind. Thing is, Jess, your boyfriend isn't just some nice boy from Kansas. Far from it. He's meant for so much more than being a lawyer."

"What are you talking about? How do you know Sam and Liz?"

"I have plans for them. Sam is a soldier. His father raised him to be one, and I intend to make sure that he does what he was raised to do. It might not be exactly what his father wanted, but hey, I'm not interested in all the small details, just the big picture. I'm sure you wondering why on earth I'm talking to you about this, right? Well, you see Jess, you're getting in the way."

"Excuse me?"

"You're getting in the way. Sam loves you. It's great for you. I'm sure you'd like to be waiting for Sam to come home with little Johnny from Little League in the minivan with a fresh, homemade apple pie on the table. You see, that just doesn't work for me. I need Sam to be a soldier, and you're getting in the way. The only way to solve that problem, is for you to be gone."

"I'm not leaving Sam." Jessica said firmly. She was scared as hell, but she still loved her boyfriend.

"Oh, Jessica, I didn't give you that option. You will leave Sam. You will leave everyone you love on this earth. Where you're going, I couldn't tell you, but if I had to guess, it'll probably be upstairs."

"Go to Hell."

"Oh sweetheart, I've already been there. I wasn't a big fan. I've got fair skin, so I burn easily."

"Why do you want Sam?"

"Well, I don't think you'd understand. Let's just say, Sam doesn't tell you everything. Now, time to get this over with."

Liz could only hear Jessica scream before she woke up. She hadn't called Sam. Gavin was awake, and she thought that he would be suspicious of something. She figured that she'd call Sam tonight if she had another dream. Liz prayed it was just an odd nightmare. Liz really hoped that Sam's dreams would stop. She had a weird feeling about them.

Liz and Gavin were doing great. School had started though, and it was making Liz stressed. Working five nights a week at the bar, going to school full time, and hunting was starting to take its toll on her. She sighed as she lay down on the bed with her eyes closed. She was still in her work clothes; black miniskirt, black tank top, and knee high boots. So it wasn't the most dignified outfit. It beat the orange hot shorts and cleavage baring tank tops of Hooters. She'd heard the shower running and wondered if she should join Gavin. She decided that she was just too tired. She was about to kick off her shoes and get ready to sleep in really late tomorrow as it was her day off. She prayed that tonight her dreams would be free of demons.

Liz felt warm liquid drop onto her face. Had Gavin gotten out of the shower? "Gavin?" Liz called for him, opening her eyes to see him. She saw him. She wished she hadn't. There Gavin was, pinned to the ceiling, stomach slashed.

"GAVIN!" Liz willed herself to wake up, but this wasn't a dream. She couldn't move. She felt as if she was paralyzed. His body errupted in flames. She still couldn't move. Liz could feel someone carrying her, but all she could focus on was Gavin's burning body and the look of terror that had graced his gorgeous face.

Liz sat outside he apartment building wrapped in a blanket, watching the flames get put out. An officer was asking her questions. "How did you get out?"

"Someone...Someone pulled me out." Liz answered in a low voice. All she could think of was Gavin.

"Who?"

"I...I don't–"

"Me." a voice interrupted.

"Who are you?" the officer asked.

"I'm Henry Atwood, Liz's uncle." the man said, "Look my niece has answered plenty of your questions. I think she really just needs to get some rest."

"Yes, Mr. Atwood. I think I've gotten all of my questions answered anyway. Thank you for your time, and I'm very sorry for your loss." the officer walked away.

Liz didn't recognize the man as her uncle, but that didn't mean she didn't recognize him. He had aged a few years, but he hadn't changed much. "John."

"Hey, Liz."

"Thank you for saving me."

"Don't thank me. I was trying to save your boyfriend. You were never in immediate danger. I'm sorry about him, by the way."

"It was the demon, wasn't it? The one that killed my mother and your wife." It wasn't a question. She didn't have to ask.

"Come on, you can stay with me tonight. We'll talk in the morning."

When Liz woke up, she wished she could have crawled back under the covers. John handed her a coffee. "How did you sleep?"

"You have to ask?"

"I was trying to do the polite small talk thing."

"Don't." Liz said bluntly as she stared aimlessly out the window, "You're not good at it. Neither is Dean, actually. Sam is though. I think Stanford gave him practice."

"Liz, I need to ask you some questions." John said softly.

"Go for it." she said as she sat on the couch while he sat in the arm chair.

"There are usually signs, flickering lights, skipping radio,–"

"I know the signs, John. I didn't see anything. Everything electronic was fine. I didn't have anything on when I got into my apartment. I didn't even bother with the lights. I'm not sure if I'm stupid, or the demon's a genius." Liz said in an angry tone. She should've seen this coming.

"He isn't a genius. You cut me off. I was going to tell you that this demon isn't the usual flickering lights, skipping radio deal, though he does do that. His trail is a hell of a lot bigger than that. Crop failures, cow mutilations, missing persons. He leaves a major trail, but it's hard to pick up." John said sternly.

"The missing persons rate is normal for LA. This is the city. You can't even find farms for cows and crops."

"There are towns not far from the city. It's been happening a lot over there."

"How did you pick up on that? I mean, come on John. These signs, it's like a needle in a haystack. How did you pick up on them?" Liz asked, amazed at his talent.

"I'm good."

"Thanks for being so descriptive. So why isn't Dean with you?"

"He's on another hunt."

"It's the demon, John. He'd drop anything to get a chance at him." Liz looked John in the eye. "Oh my god, he doesn't know, does he?"

"No, he doesn't. I'm keeping him out of this. I can't be on a hunt and worry about him getting hurt too. You can't call him and try to tell him, Liz, alright?" John said in a firm voice.

"Alright." Liz agreed reluctantly. She felt that he should know. Dean would give anything to kill that demon. She knew that.

"Liz," John sighed, "I have to ask you about your boyfriend."

"Okay." Liz said quietly.

"Did he know about the supernatural?"

"No, nothing." she looked down at her coffee.

"Did he know about how your mother died?"

"Only that she died in a fire."

"Were you two getting closer?"

"What?" Liz's head shot up. What the hell did their sex life have to do with this?

"I mean, were the two of you getting closer? Like would he alter any decisions you might've had to make?" John said quickly, realizing how it may have sounded the first time.

"Yeah, I guess."

"He thought he was getting in the way." John muttered to himself.

"What?"

"Nothing. So this was completely unexpected?"

"Yes."

"So nothing strange has happened in the past few months?"

"No...well, there was something..."

"Liz, what was it?"

"Sam is dating my cousin Jess."

"Sam? As in my son?"

"Yeah, remember your kid that got into Stanford?"

"How is he?" John asked quietly.

"He's great. He's starting his law school interviews in a month or two. He's probably going to get a full ride to Stanford Law School."

"That's great." John smiled but quickly frowned again, "I'm sorry. This isn't about Sam."

"It's okay to be proud of your son. You should be. Anyway, when he was staying with me in LA one weekend, we both woke up at the same time from almost the same dream. He saw Jess on the ceiling, and I saw Gavin...When I saw him in reality last night...it was exactly like the dream Everything from his expression to his Rolling Stones t-shirt."

"So you're saying that you and Sam are getting visions of the future?" John questioned.

"No, well...yeah. I don't know!" Liz exclaimed in frustration.

"Did it ever happen to you before?"

"No."

"It could've just been a strange deja vu type of thing."

"I had that dream every night Sam was there."

"Liz, I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you that I know what's happening, but I can't."

"Is the demon still here?"

"No, he knows that I'm on his tail. He wouldn't be that stupid."

"Damn." she sighed.

"Liz, I have to ask you to do something, and I can't give you an explanation for why. You just have to do it. Will you do that?"

"You've saved my life a couple times now. I guess I owe you something."

"So you'll do it?"

"Yeah, I'll do it. Now tell me what exactly I'm doing for you. It is legal, right?"

"Yeah, it's legal." John smiled. She really did know his family.

"Good."

"Don't talk to Sam."

"What? Why not?" Liz asked surprisedly.

"That's the part I can't tell you."

"You know something about the dreams, don't you?"

"Liz, listen to me." John said sternly, "I'm not positive what's happening, but you and Sam will both be safer if you're far away from each other."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?" she asked in a tone that was almost angry. Didn't she deserve to know about something that was happening to her?

"Have you ever wondered what your life would've been like if you'd never found out about demons and spirits?"

"A few times." Liz answered. Of course she'd thought about it. Almost everyday she wondered about that.

"Do you ever think that life would be better if you'd been left in the dark about it?"

"Yeah, sometimes."

"This time, you need to stay in the dark. It's the only way to protect you."

Liz sighed, "Alright. I won't talk to Sam."

"Thank you. Now, do you know where you're going to live?"

"No. My apartment burned down only nine hours ago, John. I haven't even thought about it. My friends mainly live in dorms at school. God, I don't even want to think about having to go back to school." Liz sighed for what must've been the fiftieth time that morning.

"I have a friend in Wisconsin who I called this morning. She said that she'd let you stay with her and work at her bar until you get enough money to get your own place again."

"Really?" Liz asked. It wasn't like she had a lot to stay in LA for. Maybe she needed a break from school.

"Yeah, she's got a daughter about your age too. I think you'd like it there. It's mainly hunters that hang out around there."

"Okay. I'll go."

A/N: Alright, I kinda tricked you. I said that we were bringing back someone, but in my defense I did say it might not be Dean. Dean will be back next chapter. You can start putting up your Welcome Back banners. ;) Holy crap that took forever to type. But I finally finished. Did you like it? Was it worth the wait? I hope so. Let me know what you think!


	14. Part 14

Anything But Normal

Part 14

A week later Liz was sitting in an old bar. The place was small and a bit run down, but overall it was a nice place. Liz sat at the bar with an older woman. She looked about 45 years old. She said her name was Ellen.

"You ever tend bar before?" Ellen asked in her deep raspy voice.

"Yeah, worked at a bar in LA for over a year." Liz answered.

"You ever serve hunters before?"

"Only the Winchesters."

"Hunters aren't exactly normal like civilians in this bar."

"They aren't a whole lot different. So every one has a nine millimeter in their pocket? I know how to duck and dodge bullets. They're still guys. When they get drunk, they tend to be stupid and perverted."

Ellen smiled. "Your shift starts tonight at eight."

**November 4, 2005**

Liz had settled in quite nicely at the Roadhouse. She loved exchanging stories with other hunters, and being able to take off whenever she needed to go on a hunt. One night, Liz was cleaning up with Ellen and Jo when the phone rang. Ellen picked up. "Harvelle's Roadhouse...John...Yeah, alright...I'll put you on with her." She took the phone away from her ear. "Liz, it's for you."

"Hello?" Liz asked as she picked up the phone.

"Hey, Liz. It's John. Listen, you should really come down to Palo Alto." John said in a low voice.

"John, I thought you said–"

"Liz, I'm sorry, but Jessica..."

In a voice just above a whisper, Liz said, "She's dead, isn't she?" Liz didn't need to ask how.

"I'm sorry, Liz." John said sympathetically.

"Is Sam okay?" Liz asked, voice trembling.

"Yeah, he's just fine." John said is a reassuring voice.

"Thank god." Liz breathed.

"Her funeral is Thursday morning at St. Augustine Cemetery." he told her.

"Thanks, John." Liz hung up the phone.

"You should go." Ellen said.

A day later, Liz was in Palo Alto. She was watching the ceremony from the back. She could see Sam towards the front. He was barely holding it together. Liz walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Sam gave her a sad smile.

After the ceremony, Liz had stayed and talked to Jessica's parents a bit. She gave them her new cell number and told them she was living with friends in Wisconsin. She explained that she needed a change. They were leaving as everyone else already had, and she was about to. "Wait, Liz!" Sam called. He'd been waiting for her to finish talking to Mr. And Mrs. Moore.

"I can't stay." she told him.

"You can't even stay for a cup of coffee or anything? We haven't talked in a while."

"I think it's safer if we don't. I'm sorry, Sam." Liz said sadly. She turned to walk away.

"I'm sorry about Gavin." Sam called after her, knowing it would catch her attention.

"He died the same way Jess did." she turned around.

"Is that why we suddenly lost touch?"

"No...well, kinda. Your dad came, and he saved me from the fire. He told me that it isn't safe for us to talk."

"Why not?"

"He wouldn't say, but he was really serious. I think we should listen to him."

"My dad is missing. Dean hasn't seen him in weeks. We don't even know if he's alive." Sam

"He's alive." Liz said reassuringly.

"Have you seen him?" Sam questioned.

"He called me to tell me about Jess."

"Do you know if he's hurt? Or if he's in trouble? Or why he isn't–"

"Sam, I don't know. I don't think so. He just told me about Jessica. I asked him if you were okay, and he said you were. I would've thought that he was here at some point."

"He's okay." Sam said to himself. He was relieved.

"I should go."

"So this is goodbye?" Sam asked sadly. He'd been hoping that she'd keep him sane while he was on the road with this brother by their late night phone conversations.

"Yeah." Liz answered in a similar tone. She hated saying goodbye. She just said goodbye to Gavin a few months ago, Jessica a few hours ago, and now Sam.

Sam hugged Liz. "You know you can call me if you ever need anything."

""Yeah, I know. Goodbye Sam."

"Bye, Liz." Liz got into her black cavalier and drove away, praying she'd never need to go back.

Sam went back to his motel room. "Hey, Dean."

"Hey, how was it?" Dean asked as he packed the last few things into his duffle bag.

"It was fine."

"You ready to hit the road?"

"Yeah, let's go. Colorado, right?" Sam grabbed the bag that he'd packed earlier that morning. There wasn't much as most of his stuff was lost in the fire, but he would go shopping in Colorado.

"Yeah, the coordinates point to Black Ridge, Colorado. We can make it by tomorrow morning." Dean said.

**February 2006**

Sam and Dean were driving through Indiana after just leaving Michigan. The sky was cloudy and dark, fitting for their moods. "I think Max had powers because the same demon killed our mothers." Sam said.

"Yeah, I think so too." Dean sighed.

"What if there are others?" Sam asked.

"I don't know. We don't know why you have powers, we can't track down every kid who had their mother die in a nursery fire, and they wouldn't believe us if we told them anyway. I say we just forget about it." Dean told him.

"I can't just forget about it, Dean. I have to know why this is happening to me."

"Then what are we supposed to do? Do you have some brilliant idea, Sam? Cause as far as I can see, the only thing we know is that it's connected to the demon. That doesn't exactly sound safe." Dean said in that protective tone he had whenever it came to his brother in danger.

"Since when have we been safe? Dean, we have to do something. There are other kids like me out there."

"And how are we supposed to find them, Sam?"

"Remember a girl named Liz Atwood? She was on the were–l"

"Werewolf case. Yeah, I remember Lizzie. The demon killed her mother."

"We have to look for her."

"Richmond, North Dakota then?"

"No, she isn't there anymore. At least I don't think so. She moved out to LA about three or four years ago. But she disappeared around September."

"I'm sorry, back up. How do you know so much about Lizzie?"

"She was Jessica's cousin. We met again over the summer."

"Oh. So she disappeared?"

"Yeah." Sam proceeded to fill him in on the whole summer, how they kept in touch, the dreams, and what happened at Jessica's funeral.

"You think Dad might know something about your powers?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, I do."

"Where should we start looking? North Dakota? LA?"

"I guess LA. We'll try and see if she gave her landlord a forwarding address."

Dean made a U turn. "We're off to Cali then."

A/N: Sorry it took me a while to get this posted! I wanted it up last weekend, but I kept getting distracted. Then I was gonna post it last night after I came back from the midnight Harry Potter show (yep, I'm an HP freak), but then I got the brilliant idea of the last bit with them leaving Max's house (during the movie, which was rather odd). Again, Sorry! Anyway, DEAN! I brought him back. Alright, there wasn't a whole lot going on with him, but I did what I could. I didn't intend to have him here at all, but everyone seemed to really want him back (are there no Sam fans reading?). Next chapter, I promise, he'll be in much more. Let me know what you thought!


	15. Part 15

Anything But Normal

Part 15

**Present Day**

Sam knocked on the door to his brother's house. Dean lived in Wakefield, Massachusetts, while Sam lived less than an hour away in New Durham. Sam loved New Durham. He lived in a nice house that was right on Merrymeeting Lake. He had a great wife, Sarah, whom he loved very much along with his daughter, Jenny. He knew all of his neighbors, a white picket fence, and a life that Dean continuously teased him about.

Though Sam wouldn't point out to Dean that his life wasn't that much different. He didn't know his neighbors because his house was very out of the way. He had two acres of his own land that the house was on, so he definitely had his privacy, and no neighbors. He didn't have a fence. But he went to work everyday. He went to the company picnics and friends barbeques. He convinced people that he was normal. Sam didn't bother pointing that out to Dean, though. He knew that Dean would just deny it all, and Sam didn't care all that much.

"Hey, Sammy." Dean said as he opened the door and let his brother in, "How's it going?"

"Sarah is a bit angry, but more afraid. How about you?" Sam said as the walked into Dean's living room. The blue and white couch, love seat, and recliner chair sat on a tan carpet surrounding a wooden coffee table and facing a big screen tv (which Sam was positive Dean had picked out).

"Liz hasn't said a word since I told her this morning." Dean collapsed onto the couch.

"I told you she'd be pissed." Sam said as he sat down on the recliner.

"I know."

"I told you she should know."

"I know.

"I told you–"

"I'm so glad you aren't being an ass and rubbing the fact that you predicted all of this in my face." Dean said bitterly.

"She deserved to know, Dean. This affects her even more than it does you."

"Bitch."

"Jerk." They both smiled at their little joke.

"Uncle Sammy!" an adorable little girl with light brown hair and bright blue-green eyes came running out of the hallway into Sam's arms.

"Hey cutie." Sam hugged his niece, "You've gotten taller."

"What're you doing here?" the little girl asked.

"I am staying for dinner tonight."

"Katie," Dean said, "Wanna come with me to Antonio's to pick up the pizza?"

His daughter agreed to go as he scooped her up in his arms. The said bye to Sam and left for the car.

Sam found Liz in Katie's room, cleaning up a few of her toys. The room was a nice size. There was a small bed in the middle with a purple butterfly blanket covering it. The room was filled with assorted toys and Barbie dolls.

"Hey." Sam said as he leaned against the door frame.

"Sam," Liz gave him a big hug, "Hi."

"How are you?"

"I'm okay. You know, considering my freaky destiny to be an evil killer might still happen when I thought it ended about 14 years ago, I'm doing okay. How about you?"

"Freaking out the same way you are. I finally stopped worrying about finding Sarah pinned to the ceiling in Jenny's nursery. For the first year I wouldn't even let her check on Jenny by herself at night."

They both sat down on top of a wooden toy chest that sat against the wall. "I remember. She was so annoyed with you for that. How did she take the news?"

"She was pissed that I never said anything before. At this point, she is just scared. But she's a bit more understanding than you."

"I have good reason though! He kept this a secret when it directly affects me!" Liz said defensively.

"I know, believe me, I know. That's what I told Dean. He didn't tell you because he didn't want to get you worried, Liz. You know him. He just wants to protect you."

"But he can't protect me from this."

"He doesn't wasn't to face that. He never did with me either. You know that he was only keeping this from you because he thought it was for the best. He wasn't trying to upset you."

"I know." Liz sighed. "Sam, I can't let this hunt for the yellow-eyed demon start again. I can't raise my daughter in motel rooms, and teach her how to hunt demons. I mean, this is why Dean and I never even brought up the subject of kids until the war was over and everything was calm."

"I know. My dreams..."

"Are you getting visions again?"

"I don't know. They started out as dreams in the beginning. Lately, my dreams have been about the demon."

A tear slid down Liz's cheek as the reality of the situation began to sink in. "This can't be happening. You and Dean barely made it out alive the last time. Hell, you didn't make it out alive. This just can't be happening again."

"I know." Sam wrapped his arms around his sister in law. "We aren't going to let them grow up the way we did. I don't want the girls hunting demon, never being able to live a normal life because of this. If it really is the demon, we will stop it, we will kill it, and we will end it...again." he said firmly.

**May 2007**

Liz drove up to the Roadhouse and gasped at the sight that lie before her. She got out of the car and walked up to the ashes that remained of the Roadhouse. "Oh God, Ash." Liz saw the burned face of her mullet-haired friend through the rubble. It smelled like the accident had happened days ago. She saw plenty of the other hunter's bodies who had frequented the bar. Tears slid down her face as she realized that Ellen, Jo, and any other person that she'd become friends with in the past two years were also dead.

"Liz!" she heard someone call.

Liz turned around to see Ellen and Bobby walking out of a blue truck. "Oh my god. Ellen!" Liz ran up to Ellen and hugged her. "You're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine sweetie. I'm just relieved to see you weren't in there." Ellen said.

"Hey, Liz."

"Hey Bobby. It's good to see you again."

"You too. I thought we were gonna find you in there." Bobby said grimly.

"I thought the same about you."

Liz saw a black 1967 Chevy Impala pull up. "Well I'll be damned." she said.

As Sam got out of the car and shut the door, his jaw dropped.

"Sam?"

"Liz?" Sam immediately smiled and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. "Ouch." he winced.

"What's wrong?"

"Back injury from our latest hunt."

"What happened?"

"Let's just say a friend stabbed me in the back."

"Literally? Alright then." Liz knew that there was a longer story, but didn't press the issue.

"Sammy, wanna introduce me to your friend?"

"Dean." Liz breathed. He was more muscular than the last time they met. His hair was gelled up, and he looked a bit scruffier.

"You've heard about me." Dean smirked in the cocky way the reminded Liz of the first time she met him.

"I don't think I need to introduce you, Dean. You two have already met."

"I think I'd remember a girl as beautiful as you." Dean kept that cocky smirk plastered on his face.

"Apparently you don't. I'll give you a hint. Werewolves and dead politics."

"Lizzie Atwood." he almost whispered. She looked different. Her hair was wavy and she had bangs. She dressed a little differently. Not as girly as she used to. She stood in a black tank top, torn jeans, and a black leather jacket.

"How've you been?" Liz asked.

"Not bad. You?"

"Been better." she said looking back at the Roadhouse.

"Did you come here a lot?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I worked here. I came after Gavin died."

"Really? Wisconsin is kinda far from LA. How'd you find it?" Dean asked.

"Your dad, John, told me about it. I'm sorry, by the way. I heard the demon got him."

"Yeah, thanks." Sam said with a strange expression.

"Hey boys, can I talk to you in private?" Bobby asked. He pulled the boys away from Liz at least a good ten yards. "How do you two know her?"

"We met her years ago in North Dakota on a case." Dean said.

"That's it?"

Sam and Dean exchanged a look. "I met her again on another case when Sam was at Stanford."

"I met her because she was Jessica's cousin."

"Jessica had hunters in her family?" Bobby questioned.

"Well she didn't know about it, but yeah." Sam answered.

"Wait, hold on a second, demon hunter? Lizzie is a demon hunter?" Dean asked, "She could barely handle a simple haunting when I last saw her."

"Liz is a damn good hunter, especially for only doing this for a few years now. I think she told me she only started about four or five years ago. I guess things have changed."

"Yeah, apparently." Dean said, surprised.

The walked back over to Liz and Ellen. "So Jo is still gone, right? She wasn't back yet?"

"No, last I heard she was in Minnesota."

"Once we get all this rubble away, we can start rebuilding." Bobby said.

"I wish. I called the insurance company. They barely cover anything." Ellen sighed.

"I'll help you rebuild it." Bobby said.

"So will we." Sam said.

And I know there are a ton of other hunters who will want to help too." Bobby said wrapping an arm around Ellen comfortingly, "Don't worry. In a few months, it'll be like nothing happened."

Late that night, Sam and Dean were in their crappy, rundown motel room that looked (and smelled) like it hadn't been cleaned up since the 1970s. "I can't believe we finally found her. When we weren't even trying." Dean said.

"I know. I was starting to think that she was one of the kids that Ava killed." Sam said.

"So how do we ask her about her powers? I mean saying 'Lizzie, we've been wondering if you have any demonic powers,' might freak her out a bit. Not to mention kill any chance I have of getting with her."

"Christ, you see the girl for the first time in 5 years, and you're already trying to hook up with her?" Sam said, exasperated.

"Yes," Dean said bluntly, "Now back to the point, how do we find out if Liz has powers?"

"Honestly? I was thinking that maybe since the Yellow Eyed Demon is dead, the powers are gone."

"You really think so?" Dean asked skeptically.

"Yeah, I mean, how can one of us lead his supposed 'army' without his orders on what to do? I think it might be over."

"Are you sure she isn't gonna go after you like Ava or anything?"

"Come on, Dean. Do you really think Liz would kill me? She was one of my best friends when I was at Stanford. Plus, the Ava thing was a whole different situation."

"Alright, but if you get another vision, we immediately talk to her."

"Fine by me."

A/N: Don't kill me! I'm sorry for not updating these past few weeks. I've been busy (gasp I have a life! Who knew?) with the new Harry Potter book (alright, not that much of a life) and my birthday (but a little bit of a life). So...Dean returned! What do you think about it?


	16. Part 16

WARNING: Not edited/proofread.

Anything But Normal  
Part 16

**September 2007**

Liz stood behind the bar cleaning glasses while San and Dean were painting the walls. Guns n' Roses was blasting from the stereo. "Hey Lizzie, can I get a beer?" Dean asked, walking up to the bar.

"Yeah, sure." Liz handed him a bottle of Heineken. "So do you think we'll be ready to open in two weeks?"

"Yeah, we should be good to go."

"Ahh!" Sam yelled out in pain. He was on his knees holding his head.

"Sammy!" Dean ran over to his brother, followed by Liz.

Sam looked up at his brother, his brow furrowed and breathing heavily. "Gordon's out of prison."

"What?" Dean asked.

"What the hell just happened?" Liz asked.

Sam and Dean exchanged glances, as if questioning whether they should tell her. "I get visions of the future."

"What?" Liz asked, very confused.

"Every kid whose mother was killed in a nursery fire by the Yellow Eyed Demon has powers. Meaning you should too."

"Why the hell didn't you bring this up earlier?" Liz was still shocked, but also somewhat angry that they'd failed to talk to her about this earlier.

"We killed the Yellow Eyed Demon. We thought that was the end of the visions and this stupid destiny thing." Dean explained.

The trio sat at a table while Sam and Dean explained everything they knew, though it wasn't much. "So why were we chosen?" Liz asked.

"We don't know." Sam answered.

"Why didn't Dean get powers?"

"We don't know. Though personally, I'm okay with not being a psychic freak." Dean answered. Sam looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't.

"How can we be stopped from turning evil?"

"We don't know. Like I said, we don't know that much." Sam told her.

"But we do know that you should have your own ability." Dean told her.

"When we were in LA you had a dream every night about Gavin. The night he died was exactly like the dream, wasn't it?"

"Yeah." Liz answered quietly, staring at the tabletop.

"So you have the same power Sam does?" Dean asked.

"No, I never had the dream after you left."

"So then what is you ability? Sam asked.

Liz looked back to the bar. She focused on Dean's abandoned beer and moved to the table they were sitting at, without physically moving.

"Now that's what I call service. Thanks, Carrie." Dean said, referring to the 70's horror flick.

"And that's it? Your powers haven't advanced or anything?" Sam asked.

"No, why? Can they advance?"

"Yeah, when you get really into it you can do almost anything." Sam answered.

"No. Well, once. There was this kid Max. He was telekinetic too. I was locked in a closet and I was able to use his power to get out. That was about a year and a half ago."

"So why haven't you tried to advance your powers?"

"We think they could make you more evil."

"That's a comforting thought. So you said there were other kids like us. Where are they?"

"Dead. Max killed himself. Andy killed Webber. Ava killed Lily and Andy. Jake killed Ava." Sam said quickly, staring at the table.

"So where's Jake?" Liz asked cautiously. She could tell Sam was uncomfortable with this subject. Sam squirmed a bit in his seat, but didn't answer. "You killed him, didn't you?" Liz asked softly.

"He was going to kill Ellen, Bobby, Dean, and I."

"So let me get this straight. The kid with my power, Max, killed himself. You killed Jake who killed Ava who killed Lily and also Andy who killed Webber."

"Hell of a chain reaction, isn't it?" Dean commented.

"Tell me about it. So we were meant to be killers." Liz sighed.

"Yeah." Sam sighed.

"That doesn't mean you will be." Dean said.

"But it looks like there's a damn good chance." Liz said cynically.

"It also looked like there was a damn good chance that you would spend your whole life in North Dakota serving coffee, have 2.5 kids, a white picket fence, and a mini-van. Doesn't mean it's gonna happen." Dean said firmly.

"Point taken. So these visions, you said that they're usually connected to the Yellow Eyed Demon or one of the special kids. What was your vision?"

Dean wanted to punch himself. They'd gotten so caught up in telling Liz everything that he'd forgotten about Sam's vision.

"Gordon Walker. Ever heard of him?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. He used to come around here a bit. Heard he got locked up."

"Yeah, we put him there. He wants to kill us before we turn evil." Sam explained. "My vision was of him torturing some girl. If I had to guess, she is one of us."

"How do we find her?" Liz asked.

"I don't know."

"Come on, Sammy. Isn't there usually some sort of sign that you can track down or something?"

"Yeah. Usually. But not today. I saw a blue Honda, didn't see a license plate. I couldn't even get a glimpse of the girl. I just saw a dark room. Pretty much empty."

"How are we supposed to find her when you don't even have a clue how to?"

"I have no idea." Sam sighed, running a hand through his shaggy dark hair.

A/N: Alright, this chapter was supposed to be about twice as long, but as it turns out, I just don't have time. I'm going on vacation tomorrow morning, and I didn't want to make you guys wait a week for an update, so here we are. Tell me what you think!


	17. Part 17

Anything But Normal

Part 17

Sam got up and left to go to the bathroom. Dean and Liz were still sitting at the table talking.

"So, you know if you ever have anymore questions about what's going on or if you ever get scared and need comforting, you can call me." Dean told her.

"Geez, you don't give up, do you? I'm supposed to become a demonic, evil murder, and you'll still hit on me." Liz shook her head in disbelief.

"Hey, I was trying to be a nice guy." Dean said innocently. But the smirk on his face was far from innocent.

"Is that possible?"

"I've saved your life time and time again. You don't think I'm a nice guy?"

"Exactly." Liz said curtly.

"I'm pretty sure that wasn't what you thought when we were in North Dakota." Dean smirked.

"I'm pretty sure that's what I started thinking after you left North Dakota." Liz answered coldly.

"Why?" Dean asked, truly unsure.

"Because that was when I realized that I was the latest in a long list of one night stands." Liz picked up Dean's now empty beer bottle and threw it out.

Dean followed her behind the bar. "It's not like you didn't know I was leaving." Dean reasoned.

"You could've said goodbye, or called, or written a note. _Something!_" Liz yelled out in anger and frustration.

"What? Did you seriously want a long distance relationship with a hunter?" Dean asked incredulously. "Come on, Lizzie. You know that it wouldn't have worked out back then. Especially not with me."

Dean put his hand on the bar. One on either side of Liz. She was trapped.

"I didn't say that." Liz said lowly.

"It sounded like you were trying to." Dean countered.

"Why are you still trying to hit on me now, five and a half years later?"

"Maybe I want it to work out now."

"What's so different now?"

Dean sighed, frustrated. "Maybe I'm starting to realize that I can't screw around forever, Lizzie. I'm going to die one day. I don't want to die wondering if you were that girl that it would've worked out with. Hell, I've been wondering that for the last eight years, Lizzie."

Liz put a hand on his cheek. Dean leaned his head down so that his forehead was resting against hers.

"Hey Dean, we should get going." Sam said as he walked back into the room.

Liz and Dean jumped away from each other, surprised by the interruption.

"Can you just give us a few minutes, Sammy?"

"Dude, come on, we'll be back tomorrow."

"Um, we'll see you tomorrow, Lizzie." Dean said.

"Bye guys." Liz said.

Sam and Dean got into the Impala and began to drive to the cheap motel they were currently staying at.

"Stop trying to hit on Liz." Sam said bluntly.

"What?" Dean asked surprised.

"Stop trying to get with her, Dean. Just stay away from her."

"Do you have a thing for Liz? I never really thought she was your type."

"No, I don't have a thing for Liz. That's ridiculous. God, she's practically like my sister."

"I don't see the problem then." Dean said, furrowing his brow.

"Liz doesn't need anyone to sleep with her and then just ignore her for the rest of her life. You can do that with any random chick you pick up at a bar. Just not Liz. She doesn't need you as a crappy one night stand."

"First off," Dean said defensively, "I'm not crappy. I've been told that I'm amazing; mind blowing, even. Second, who said I would stay with her?" Dean decided not to inform Sam that she already was one of his one night stands...who he left...and never called...and hadn't talked to for five years at which point he was kind of forced to.

"First off, the list of girls you have stayed with more than one night is short. Actually, it only has one name."

"Don't you dare bring Cassie into this conversation." Dean said lowly. She wasn't his favorite subject. He was over her now, but she still was at the bottom of the list of things he wanted to talk about.

"Alright, sorry. Second, Dean, I know that you don't like to think about this and neither do I, but..." Sam trailed off sadly.

"Chances are in about nine months, I'll be six feet under." Dean said in a low voice.

"You know that I'm looking into everything to try and save you. But Dean, if I can't...Liz went through enough with Gavin, Dean."

"Who the hell is Gavin?"

"He was her boyfriend until she woke up to find him pinned to the ceiling. You know the rest."

"She never said anything."

"It's not like she tells anyone. I barely know anything about it. Dean, look, she has been through hell and back. And I–"

"You're just looking out for your best friend." Dean finished.

"Yeah."

"Alright." Dean sighed.

"You'll stay away from her?" Sam questioned.

"Yeah, whatever." Dean said, defeated.

A/N: Alright, I should've posted this awhile ago, but I got caught up with life. And I've been trying to embrace my last few days of freedom before school starts. So...what did you all think? You didn't think that I was gonna let Liz and Dean get together that easily, did you? It's short, I know. But technically this was supposed to be part of the last chapter, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting forever. So yeah...please review!


	18. Part 18

Anything But Normal

Part 18

Sam and Dean were in a crappy motel room about twenty minutes from the Roadhouse.

"I don't get it. How the hell am I supposed to help this girl if I can't even find her?!?" Sam yelled out in frustration.

No blue Hondas had been reported stolen in the 22 states they'd already checked on Sam's laptop.

"Calm down, man...Maybe we aren't supposed to find her." Dean suggested.

"What?"

"Look at your other visions, Sam. When we net Max we had to have those other guys from your visions die to know that it was him. When we met Andy, we couldn't save the people from your visions. If we had, we wouldn't have known about Andy's brother."

"So you think that we have to let this girl die?" Sam asked incredulously.

"Maybe. I mean, I'm not saying I want some innocent girl to die, but maybe she is supposed to. Maybe it'll lead us to something else."

"I don't know. I mean at least before we already knew where it was happening. What are we supposed to do? Read every newspaper in the country looking for dead 24 year old brunette girls? Come on, there could be thousands of those." Sam reasoned.

"Maybe you'll get a clue in your next vision."

"No. I can't stand by and wait for her to die. Remember my visions about our old house? Or the kid whose mom was supposed to be killed by the Yellow Eyed Demon? Or the demon virus in Washington last year? They were all one shot visions that I was able to stop."

"Well, maybe you could..."

"Maybe I could what?"

"Maybe you could try and get back in the vision."

"What?"

"Try and get back in the vision. Like trying to get back to sleep with the dream you were having before. Relax and just focus on the vision. Try to get back there with a clearer picture."

Sam shrugged and gave it a shot. He closed his eyes and tried to do as Dean said. "Nothing. Where the hell did you get that idea anyhow?" Sam questioned.

"Alyssa Milano on Charmed." Dean smiled. "She was so hotter than the other two girls."

"Come on, Dean be serious." Sam rolled his eyes.

"Well she is seriously hot. She's psychic, you're psychic. I thought maybe she knew what she was talking about. Look, I'm gonna go to the coffee shop down the road."

"To get coffee or to check out the waitress you were hitting on a few weeks ago?"

"Both." Dean smirked.

Sam rolled his eyes as Dean walked out to the Impala. He laid back down on the worn mattress. He closed his eyes, relaxed, and took a deep breath. He thought about the vision. He could see the girl clearly. He could tell that she was a thin brunette with milky white porcelain skin. He still couldn't see her face. He was looking at the outside of the place now. He could see the license plate number. FGK-527. More importantly, he could see the building and the sign above the door that read: Harvelle's Roadhouse.

Sam shot up in bed with beads of sweat plastered on his forehead. "Liz." he breathed.

Dean was driving to the coffee shop when he was sidetracked by the cop car in front of a nice suburban home. He parked the car across the street. There was a small crowd of about fifteen people watching the cops question a man.

"What's going on?" Dean asked a blonde middle-aged woman standing by.

"Mr. Guevara's car was stolen in broad daylight. It was a newer car too. I think it was a Hundai or a Honda. He only got it about six months ago."

"It wouldn't happen to be a blue Honda Accord, would it?" Dean asked, knowing the answer would be affirmative.

"Yes, I think it was. How did you know that?"

"I, uh, I head that the gangs were stealing those a lot. Excuse me." Dean lied as he went back to his car.

Gordon was obviously looking for someone nearby, but not Sam. Sam said it was a brunette girl. Dean stepped on the gas. _Liz. Shit._

The Roadhouse was empty except for Liz. She was putting all the clean glasses under the bar when her cell phone rang. "Hey Sam." she answered after checking the caller ID.

"Liz, get out of the Roadhouse. The vision, you were the girl." Sam said breathlessly.

"Wait, what? Slow down, Sam. How do you know?"

"Well, he is a psychic." a dark voice said from behind her as a gun was cocked and placed at the nape of her neck.

A/N: OMG! I haven't posted in like three weeks! I hadn't realized it had been that long. I got caught up in school and stuff I guess. Anyway, tell me what you think.


	19. Part 19

Anything But Normal

Part 19

Gordon took the phone Liz. "She's gonna have to call you back, Sammy." he said as he clicked the off button.

"Shit." Sam said. He called Dean's cell. He heard AC/DC's "Rock n' Roll Ain't Noise" pollution coming from Dean's phone on the bed opposite his. Great day to forget your phone. Sam still left a voicemail for when Dean came back.

Sam took the two guns and the knife that he had in their room with him. He wished he had something more, but all the weapons were with Dean in the Impala. Sam hot wired an unlocked car in the motel parking lot and hit the gas.

Dean was pissed that he couldn't call Sam, but then thought maybe it was for the better. Sam would be safer if he wasn't near Gordon.

Gordon had tied Liz up with her arms above her head. She was hanging from the rafters in the basement of the Roadhouse. Her black top was caused to reveal her abdomen by the way she was hanging. Her feet were dangling a few feet off of the cement floor.

"What do you want, Gordon?" Liz asked.

"You dead. Sam Winchester dead would be nice too, but for now I'll just focus on the demon in front of me." Gordon said calmly.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not a demon." Liz said, deciding to play dumb. Her breathing was uneven. She was scared as hell.

"Oh, but you are. You're meant to be a killer. I can't just let you walk away knowing that someone might die because of you." His voice was dark and threatening.

"Come on, Gordon. I've been serving you drinks and exchanging stories with you for two years now. You know that I wouldn't hurt anyone."

"It isn't about who you are right now. It's about who you are going to be."

"So why haven't you killed me yet?"

"Sam knows you're here. He'll come to save you. I can, literally, kill two birds with one stone." Gordon smirked devilishly at his sense of irony.

"You know, people told me you were crazy. I never thought they were serious."

"I'm not crazy. They are. Letting monsters like you and Sam live. That's crazy. So what is your power, Lizzie? The possessed bitch who gave me my information couldn't stick around long enough to tell me."

"Like I'd ever tell you." Liz scoffed.

Gordon stepped closer to her. There was only a couple inches of space between them. He whipped out a pocket knife and put a light cut across her left cheek. It wouldn't scar, she knew, but it hurt like hell.

"Let's try this again, Lizzie. What is your power? Seeing the future, mind control, spoon bending? What is it?"

"It's Liz, not Lizzie."

"That's right. You're daddy used to call you Lizzie all the time. But after he was killed you just couldn't bare to hear anyone use the name. Except Dean Winchester. He's the only one you ever really let in. It's like a show on Lifetime." Gordon mocked, then became serious once again, "But that still doesn't tell me what your power is." He dragged the knife across her abdomen.

Liz screamed out in pain.

"Ready to tell me now?"

"No, I don't think she is." said a voice from the staircase.

A/N: SORRY! I seriously did not realize that I never posted this. So sorry for the wait. Anyway, what did you think? Did ya like the subtle reference to Army Wives (okay, really subtle, and you'll only get it if you know of Sterling K. Brown's current projects)? Is Sam going to rescue Liz? Dean? Someone else all together? Tell me your guess and you'll find out next time. :)


	20. Part 20

Anything But Normal

Part 20

_**Present Day**_

After dinner, Dean was tucking in Katie. "You salted everything?" the little girl asked.

"Yes, I promise. Absolutely nothing will come out of your closet or into your room with all the salt I put in here." Dean smiled.

"You're sure?" the scared little girl asked. She had the same fears every child did. She was afraid of the thing in her closet. Dean wanted to give her a .45 just in case, but Liz wouldn't allow him to. He wondered if she'd change her mind now.

"I am absolutely positive." Dean said. His daughter had a good sense of when something was going on. They didn't explain anything about the Yellow Eyed Demon to Katie, but the smart little girl could tell that it was something bad. Dean knew that she could tell, but he tried to act as if everything was normal. Even though tonight he'd put down a lot more salt than usual. Dean pulled up the blanket, covered in drawings of butterflies and flowers, and kissed her forehead. "Now tomorrow morning, Uncle Sammy and I are leaving for a few weeks."

"Where are you going?"

"We have to go hunting. We might not be back for a while."

"Do you have to? Mommy is always sad when you're hunting."

"She told you that?"

"No, she pretends she isn't sad, but she isn't good at pretending."

"Well then, you're just going to have to take care of her when I'm gone, okay?"

"Okay. I'm gonna miss you."

Dean hugged his daughter. "I'm gonna miss you too. I love you. Always remember that, okay? I love you."

"I love you too, Daddy."

"You promise you'll always remember that?"

"I promise."

"Good. Now get to sleep. You have school tomorrow."

_**September 2007**_

"Sam, you've come to save your demonic sister?" Gordon said darkly.

"Yeah, something like that." Sam had a shot gun aimed at Gordon.

"Gonna shoot me, Sammy?" Gordon asked tauntingly. "I though you said you weren't a killer."

"First off, it's Sam." Sam pulled the trigger. "Second, I'm not gonna kill you." The bullet had only gone into his arm. "I'm just going to beat the living hell out of you, and then I'll turn you into the cops."

Gordon was hunched over, clutching his left arm in pain. "You'll die before you get the chance."

Gordon was a fighter. He didn't let the pain stop him. Gordon tackled Sam to the ground. Punches were exchanged. Eventually Sam pinned him to the ground, but got Gordon was able to flip Sam over and pin him down. Before Sam could do anything, Gordon whipped out a dagger and held it against Sam's throat.

Suddenly, Gordon felt himself being pulled off of Sam and thrown against a wall. "I meant it when I said stay the hell away from my brother." Dean said in a deep, protective tone.

"Well now it's a party. You know what Sam and Liz are, Dean. I know Sam opened the Gates. Liz over there probably helped, didn't you?"

"I wasn't aware that they were even around when the gates were opened." Liz said groggily with her eyes half open. She'd been fighting losing consciousness since Gordon sliced her stomach open.

"Sure you weren't, bitch."

Dean threw a right hook that hit Gordon square in the jaw.

"Wasn't aware that you cared so much about your whores, Dean."

Gordon fought back, but after a couple of minutes Dean had managed to kick him right where he'd been shot. Gordon yelled out in pain, but still tried to tackle Dean. It was useless. He'd lost far too much blood and was becoming weaker every minute. Dean was able to get Gordon in a headlock and rammed his head into the cement wall of the basement.

"Oh this brings back fond memories, doesn't it?" Dean jeered. He was referring to the first time he and Sam met Gordon in Red Lodge, Montana. "Now let's get some things straight. Lizzie is not–" Dean banged Gordon's head into the wall. "–a whore. Sam and Lizzie are not–" Dean banged his head into the wall again "going to turn evil. And you, Gordy, most definitely are–" Dean banged Gordon's head into the wall one last time. "–a mother fucking pain in the ass that just won't go away."

Gordon managed to slip out of Dean's grip and stumbled backwards a bit. He could barely stand up straight. "What are you gonna do, Dean? Kill me? You'll be just as bad as these two."

"Oh, if it was up to me you would've been bug food a long time ago, but Sam isn't a killer. For some reason he wants to keep your sorry ass alive. Something about morals. Personally, I don't get it. But anyway, once you lose consciousness we'll just drop you off in front of the police station, and you'll go back to being someone's bitch." Dean said smugly.

"I'm sorry Dean, but that just isn't going to happen." Gordon said as he pulled out a small hand gun and pulled the trigger.

The bullet would have gone through Dean's chest, and most likely it would have killed him. It would have if the bullet had hit him, but it didn't. He didn't move. It should have hit him, but instead Gordon was lying dead on the ground with a bullet in his skull. Dean looked across the basement to Sam who was carrying Liz in his arms. She was covered in her blood. She looked horrified and tired and the same time. Suddenly her head fell back as she slipped into unconsciousness.

A/N: Um...Sorry? I know it's been over a month, but I have a life (well, no. Not really. Just a school which I attend and plan to graduate from. Which may or may not count as a life.). You know what really sucks? Supernatural killed off Gordon just before I did. I mean, they totally stole my thunder. I've had this planned since June! lol(Yeah, I know the whole story pretty much chapter by chapter. It's just a matter of getting it all down on paper and typing it up for you guys) Hopefully the next chapter will be up in just a couple weeks. So anyway, what did you think? Let me know!


	21. Part 21

Anything But Normal

Part 21

Liz had woken up an hour ago, but the boys didn't know. She was keeping her eyes closed in hopes that she would wake up to find that it was all a dream. Her powers, her destiny, her life even. It would've been easier. She could've stayed in North Dakota. She'd probably be running the café and finishing her last year of college. Liz was only half listening to Sam and Dean's conversation.

"That bullet should've killed me, Sam."

"Maybe the gun backfired. Or maybe it's the deal." Sam suggested optimistically.

"You actually think it's a port of the deal? I can't die off schedule? Hell, that would make her job easier. I doubt his gun backfired. Gordon would make sure that nothing like that would go wrong. He's a dick, but he isn't stupid."

"What are you saying then, Dean? Do you think something else killed him?" Sam questioned.

Dean glanced at Liz. "I don't know."

Sam caught Dean's glance. "You seriously think Liz would kill him?" Sam furrowed his brow.

"Yeah, maybe." Dean said weakly. It wasn't something he wanted to admit.

"Should would never kill a person Dean. She was barely conscious. She wouldn't be able to focus her powers clearly."

"Exactly." Liz said, finally opening her eyes.

Sam and Dean whipped their heads around at the sound of her voice. "You're awake." Sam stated.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Dean said, "Exactly what?"

"I couldn't focus my powers. Cordon would've killed you. It was instinct. I was just trying to get the bullet away from you. I was practically seeing two of everything. I couldn't focus. I didn't intentionally hit him." Liz said, trying not to cry.

All three were silent for quite a few minutes. Eventually, Dean walked over to Liz. "You should try to go back to sleep and get some rest. You lost a lot of blood."

Liz nodded and easily fell back asleep. However she was awakened a few hours later by cool hands on her abdomen. He eyes snapped open. To her relief it was only Dean. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I just have to change your bandages."

"Oh, thanks." Liz muttered. She saw that it was 3 am and Sam was in his bed. "So why are you still awake."

"Couldn't sleep."

"So what's the damage on my stomach?" Liz asked.

"It isn't too deep. You're gonna have a scar, and Sam had to give you some stitches, but it could've been a lot worse." Dean informed her as he covered her abdomen in gauze.

"You guys could've just brought me to a hospital."

"We were going to but we knew they'd ask you too many questions. We couldn't pretend to just have found you and not know you. Then we knew that they'd question you about what happened. We were afraid that you'd be medication when they asked you what happened and you'd tell them. Then you'd..." Dean trailed off.

"Then I'd go to prison for murder." Liz grimaced.

"Yeah, that. The important thing is that you're okay. We weren't sure for a while there." Dean said with a concern in his voice that Liz wasn't used to hearing.

"What did you do with the body?" Liz asked in a quiet, timid voice.

"I drove the car he stole to the park at the edge of town and left him in the driver's seat. Sam gave an anonymous tip to the cops a couple hours ago." Dean said grimly. He's never faked a man's suicide before. But it didn't feel wrong. It should've, but it didn't. It felt justified. That scared Dean.

Dean finished changing the bandages. "Alright, you're good. You should probably go back to sleep." Dean turned to go back to the couch.

"Dean, wait." Liz said.

"What is it?"

"You can sleep in bed with me if you want to. It's gotta be more comfortable than the couch."

Dean contemplated for a minute. Then he slid into bed beside her. Dean had believed at the time that Liz was just being considerate, but the truth was that Liz didn't want to be alone that night. Even after finding out that she could turn evil, nearly being slaughtered, and killing a man, she could still sleep next to Dean Winchester and feel completely safe. Something that she'd severely missed.

The next day, Dean drove Liz back to her apartment. They were at her door. "Thanks again, Dean, for everything." Liz said gratefully.

Dean ignored the thanks. He had to ask something that he'd been wondering about since Liz killed Gordon. "Why? Why would you kill him instead of letting me die?"

"You don't deserve to die, Dean." Liz said solemnly.

"How do you know?"

"I know that you basically gave up your childhood to raise Sam. You couldn't be a regular kid because John was training you to be a hunter. You've spent at least half your life saving people, Dean. It's about time you needed some saving."

"That's really what went through your head?"

"No, the only thing I was thinking about was that you're one of the best guys I know. I'll have far too many regrets if I let you die. But the saving you speech sounded a lot better." Liz admitted.

"What would one of those regrets be?" Dean questioned.

"Not telling you that the other night at the Roadhouse, I was going to say yes." Liz said in a voice just above a whisper. She stood up on her toes and tilted Dean's head down. She pressed her lips against his.

Dean pulled away. "Damn, I forgot how good you were at that." he breathed.

"Does that mean you'll come in and stay a while?" Liz smiled coyly.

"Definitely." Dean smiled and kissed her again.

A/N: There it is. Finally! I've been trying to finish up this chapter forever. You guys should get your next update just before New Years, provided everything goes according to plan. I hope all the jewish readers had a lovely Hanukkah. I hope everyone else has a lovely Christmas and Kwanza. Or if you're like me, Happy Christmukkah! Or if you don't belong to a religion, Happy December! ;) Tell me what you think of this chapter! Tell me anything. Complaints, compliments, suggestions. I'm a feedback whore, alright? It's like my cocaine. I need it!!!!!


	22. Part 22

Anything But Normal

Part 22

A month had passed. Sam still didn't know about Liz and Dean.

"How can he not know?" Jo, who had very recently returned to the Roadhouse after a year away, asked Liz one day as they were getting ready for the slew of hunters that would come in tonight.

"We haven't told him." Liz shrugged.

"It isn't like you need to. He's always staring at your ass or flirting with you. He doesn't pay attention to any other girl in here."

Liz smiled, "Yeah, I know."

"You know that he's pretty well known for hooking up with any girl that walks in the door, right?" Jo asked cautiously.

"Yes, and I wish everyone would stop telling me about all his one night stands. I get it." Liz sighed.

"It's just kind of weird. You're both pretty well known for being the love 'em and leave 'em types."

"I'm going to ignore the fact that you just politely called me a whore. Dean is just different, as incredibly corny as that sounds...I met him when I was 15."

"You did?"

"Yeah, he and John and Sam were killing a werewolf. I've known him a long time. I figured out that he isn't exactly an awesome boyfriend from experience. I get it, alright? I haven't let my guard down yet. I'm not that naive." Lis said in frustration.

"It's not you that I'm worried about."

"I'm not going to leave Dean, Jo. I really like him."

"You really feel like he's different?"

"As lame as that sounds, yes. I always have."

"Then you're going to have to tell Sam at some point."

"Eventually we will, but for some reason Sam just doesn't want us together. He thinks it would be weird, his best friend dating his brother. Plus he has this thing where he is afraid of Dean hurting me. He's almost like my brother when it comes to me dating. Alex was always like that. Ready to kill every guy that I brought home." Liz smile reminiscently as she thought of her brother.

Jo was taken aback. Liz never talked about her family. Of course she and Liz talked a lot about things being that they were the only two really young girls at the Roadhouse. Jo could tell you everything about whole Liz is. She knew her thoughts and opinions on random things, her taste in food and cars, and about the hunts that she went on when she was in California and working at the Roadhouse. However, Jo knew next to nothing about Liz's family. All Jo knew was that they were dead. Ellen had shared with Jo some vague information about the death of her mother and boyfriend. It had something to do with the demon John had been hunting.

"Alex was your brother's name?" Jo asked. Jo was never aware that Liz even had a brother.

"Oh, um, yeah," Liz decided to quickly change the subject, "Sam actually hasn't been around much lately."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he's been avoiding me."

"Why would he avoid you?" Liz was aware that Jo had a little crush on Dean months ago, but had never talked about her relationship with Sam.

"Probably because last time he saw me he almost raped and killed me." Jo said casually.

"I'm sorry, _what_?!?!" Liz exclaimed.

Dean was in some cheap motel in the middle of Arkansas. Sam walked into the room with burnt orange wallpaper peeling from the walls.

"Hey Dean?"

"Yeah?" Dean looked up from his car magazine.

"What's Liz's necklace doing in the car?" Sam held up a silver chain with a charm shaped like an 'L.'

"She was...uh...I guess it fell off when I took her home one night a couple weeks ago." Dean tried to cover up.

"So the panties near it belong to...?"

"Well...I...Sam, listen–" Dean started.

"I said don't get together with Liz. Any girl across the United States except Liz."

"Sam, I like her a lot." Dean sighed.

"So why do you want to hurt her?"

"I'm not trying to hurt her." Dean said firmly. That was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Well you're going to."

"I'm sorry not everyone is as celibate as you Sammy." Dean stood up from the bed in anger.

"Hey, you know what has happened before." Sam defended himself.

"Hurting someone will always be a chance, Sam. Why should we be alone our whole lives because of something that might happen? You should go to Bedford and see Sarah. See if you two can make it work out."

"I'm not going to risk someone's life so that I can be happy. Especially not Sarah's life."

"You don't know that it would be a risk! Yellow Eyes is dead. What if there is no risk?"

"There is always a risk with our job, Dean. There'll always be something bad that needs killing and people who need saving. You were the one who told me that. Don't you remember? You were the one who said that we can't get attached to people. Dad taught you that, Dean. He told us when we were in school not to get attached to anything or anyone."

"Dad also let us believe that there weren't many other hunters out there. Then we found Harvelle's. Now we tend to run into hunters right and left on hunts. Dad kept us isolated and cut off. You hated it, _remember_? Dad wasn't always right, Sammy."

"I'm leaving." Sam grabbed his duffle bag and stormed out.

Dean fell back onto the bed and sighed. He pulled out his cell phone and called Liz. "He knows." he told her.

About twelve hours later, Sam walked into the Roadhouse. It was almost closing. Only two or three hunters remained sitting at tables in the back.

"Hey, Sam." said Jo.

"Oh, uh, hi Jo." Sam said to the blonde girl behind the bar.

"Can I get you a beer?"

"Um, you know, I think I'll just come back tomorrow, actually. It's late and I–" Sam started awkwardly.

"Sam, I'm not going to kill you." Jo cut him off.

"Really?"

"Really. You were possessed. I get it. It wasn't like it was you." Jo reasoned.

Sam let out a breath, "Thank God."

Jo laughed. "Dean with you?"

"No, just me."

"So one beer?"

"Yeah, that would be great." Sam said graciously.

Sam and Jo began to talk. They continued chatting for most of the night until Sam finally told her why he wasn't here with Dean.

"I don't get what the big deal is. He seems to really like her, which is a big change for him."

"I know, but I just don't want her to get hurt. She lost a boyfriend a few years ago. She was pretty messed up about it."

"I know. She came here right after Gavin died. John had sent her. Said it might be good for her."

"Yeah, well I lost a girl the same way a few months later. I know what it feels like to lose someone you love. To watch when...it just isn't something I want to see her go through."

"Sam, you don't know that Dean is going to die."

"Well...it isn't like our job is the safest." Sam couldn't tell Jo that Dean had sold his soul.

"Neither is her's. Liz could die tomorrow, Sam. Don't worry about it. You can't save everyone."

"Yeah, I know."

"And I'm siding with Dean here. You should go see that Sarah girl."

"I can't just drop in on her."

"When was the last time you talked to her?"

"We exchange e-mails every once in a while."

"How often is once in a while?"

"Weekly." Sam said sheepishly.

"Sam! You're afraid to go see your internet girlfriend!"

"She isn't my internet girlfriend we just talk."

"Does she ever mention other guys?"

"No."

"Do you ever mention other girls?"

"No."

"Go. Get on the next bus to wherever this girl is and _go_." Jo shooed him out of the bar.

The next night, Dean came into the Roadhouse. "Hey, Jo."

"Hi Dean. Liz is in back getting another case of beer. She'll be out in a second." Jo informed him.

"Thanks, but that's not why I'm here. Sam hasn't come in here, has he? He took off yesterday and he won't pick up his damn phone." Dean said with worry in his voice.

"Yeah, last night."

"Did he mention anything about where he was going?"

"New York, I think."

A wave of relief hit Dean. "I'll be damned." Dean smiled.

A/N: Note to self: Don't make new years resolutions. They are cursed. I blame the resolution for this being late. I really am sorry. I give everyone permission to shoot me with rocksalt. Between applying for AP classes and midterms I just haven't been able to update. I swear I'm going to try to update more now that my schedule is a little less hectic. Again, incredibly sorry! So what about this chapter? I'm pretty happy with it. I had to bring in Jo. Liz needs a female girl to talk to her own age. Putting Ellen in that role didn't work for me. Ellen would be giving her wise, motherly advice on men and relationships while Jo would be more of a girlfriend just talking. And next chapter is the return of Sarah Blake!!! I'm excited to write that. So, as always, let me know what you think of everything and again, feel free to rip my head off for not updating.


	23. Part 23

Anything But Normal

Part 23

Dean was in Maryland with Liz. They sat out in the woods with an EMF detector, checking out reports of something like a beast chasing out trespassing teenagers. No one had died. No one was injured.

Liz knew that this was a crappy Bigfoot sighting. Just kids screwing around. She took the job because Dean needed something to do. He was bouncing off the walls. Sam was in New York and not talking to Dean. He had to hunt something, even if it turned out to be a bust, to stop him from driving himself crazy.

"Dean, he'll come around when he's ready." Liz assured him.

"No, he won't. I know him. Remember when I took you to burn your first body, and we talked about how the white-picket fences freak us out?" Liz nodded. "Sam isn't like us. He still wants that cookie-cutter life. I couldn't even drag him out of Stanford." Dean fretted.

"This isn't Stanford. He might still want that life, but he still likes his life with you. He knows that white picket fences are not an option with a demonic war going on and his name on America's Most Wanted." Liz reasoned.

Dean ignored her as he dialed Sam again. "Sammy, it's been three weeks. Just at least call me...or Bobby or Liz or somebody. You can't cut off the whole world here."

In New York, Sam checked the caller ID and clicked ignore.

"You should call him back." Sarach said.

"What we should do is go back to sleep. It's past midnight." Sam said as he checked the alarm clock.

"He's your brother." Sarah said, turning the light on.

"It's late, Sarah."

"He was right! I'm glad you came here, and I want you to stay more than anything, but you can't."

"Why not?"

"A cop came to the door today."

Sam sat up. "What happened?"

"He showed me a picture of you, your mugshot, and told me that you were wanted by the FBI."

"What did you say?"

"I lied. Said I'd never heard of you in my life."

Sam hugged her and kissed her forehead. "Thank you, Sarah."

"There are some interesting things on that list of charges."

"You know how we do our jobs." Sam reminded her.

"Murder?"

Sam sighed. He hadn't really thought he'd ever have to explain killing people. "Never intentionally. Demons aim to kill people. Hunters try to protect people...but sometimes there are casualties in war."

"Oh." Sarah said awkwardly.

"I've gotta go, Sarah." Sam said as he got out of bed.

"Now?"

"Yeah, it's better if I leave when it's dark." Sam explained.

"Where are you gonna go?" Sarah asked.

"Wherever Dean is." Sam flipped open his cell phone and dialed the familiar number.

"Sammy?" Dean answered on the first ring.

"Dean, the cops are in Bedford. They're looking for me. Where are you?"

"Maryland. I can be in Jersey in four hours. Wanna meet there?"

"Make it Pennsylvania. The farther, the better."

"Pittsburgh. It's good to hear from you, Sammy."

"Yeah, look I'm sorry. I know that–"

"Dude, stop before you start crying or something. I know." Dean could swear he heard Sam's eyes roll.

"Right, no chick flick moments."

"Exactly. I'll text you the address of the motel in a few hours when I get there."

"Alright. I'll see you in Pittsburgh, Dean." Sam hung up.

Dean smiled at Liz. "The cops are after Sam."

"So naturally happiness is the first reaction."

"No, he's running from them. I'm meeting him in Pittsburgh."

"I told you he'd come around. Let's go back to the motel and pack up." Liz smiled.

Dean headed to Pennsylvania in the Impala while Liz drove back to her apartment near the Roadhouse. She flopped down onto the bed as soon as she got in. She was speeding the whole way back, so she made it there in just under eleven hours. She smiled when she noticed that she could still smell the scent of Dean on one of her pillows. He'd been over here almost every night since Dam left. It was kind of nice having him around more.

Liz's happy thoughts were cut off by the ring of her phone. She groaned and picked it up off the night stand. Who called her on her landline? Everyone that knew her knew to call on her cell.

"Hello?" she asked in an annoyed tone, assuming that it was probably a solicitor trying to get her to buy something.

"Hello, is this...is this Elizabeth Atwood?"

"Who is this?" Liz asked. She was listed as Elizabeth Davis on all bills and documents. She didn't want anyone from her past tracking her down.

"My name is Bethany Davis. Look, if you don't know who she is, just tell me I'm wasting my time." Bethany sighed in frustration.

"Aunt Bethany?" Liz was shocked. She had barely talked to her aunt since she moved to Los Angeles. Bethany thought Liz was being too impulsive. They had spoken on a couple of holidays while Liz was living in L.A. and those short conversations always ended in fights. When Liz left L.A., she lost touch with her only living relative completely.

"Liz? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it is. Is something wrong, Aunt Beth?"

"No, it's just...You need to come to Richmond. It's about your father's will."

Liz sat straight up. "I can be there tomorrow afternoon."

"Good. I'm still at the old place. You remember how to get there?"

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Liz."

Liz hung up the phone and went to bed feeling confused.

The next day, she was three hours away from her hometown when Black Sabbath started playing from her phone. "How's Sam?" Liz asked, knowing it was Dean.

"He's great."Liz could hear the happiness in his voice. "We are at the Roadhouse. Where are you, Lizzie?"

"North Dakota." she sighed.

"What? Why? You told me you don't even take jobs there."

"I don't. Somehow my aunt tracked me down. She wanted to see me about my Dad's will."

"What about it?"

"I don't know. She didn't say."

"You know if you're staying for a few days?"

"God, I hope not. I'll listen to what she has to tell me. Hopefully I can leave after that."

"She's your family. You should talk to her. She's the only relative you have left."

"Yeah, I know. We just have our differences. I gotta go, Dean. My cell is gonna die soon. Talk to you later?"

"Sure, bye." Dean hung up his phone and heard Sam on his own phone. "Yeah, we got back fine. I'll visit when the cops aren't putting my picture up everywhere...yeah, you too...I will...I miss you too...bye, Sarah."

"Look at you two. Both calling your girlfriends because you miss them."

"She isn't my girlfriend." Dean said.

"Oh, no? Sam, what do you call it when your dating one girl exclusively? You're always calling her and checking up on her. And you're sleep at her apartment almost every night. Cause I could've sworn I heard a term for that somewhere."

"I think it's...No...Yeah, that's a girlfriend." Sam teased.

"Liz and I aren't...We just...You know what? It's none of your business what we are. Now shut up and get me a beer."

"Order me around like that and the only thing you'll be getting is a punch in the face." Jo warned him.

"May I please have a beer?"

Jo placed one in front of him. "Where is Liz?"

"North Dakota."

"I thought she didn't go back home."

"She doesn't. She hasn't talked to her family since she lived in California. Her aunt hated Gavin." Sam informed her.

"It's about her Dad's will."

"When did he die?" Jo asked.

"Right before we met her. When was that, '97? '98?" Sam said.

"Spring of 1999. Werewolf." Dean said.

"Seven and a half years later his will is coming up?" Jo asked.

"I guess so." Dean said.

Liz had gone through a pack of cigarettes in the last hour. She'd quit after she left L.A., but she was feeling too nervous.

She'd pulled into the parking lot of the apartment building where she used to live. This was where she'd been taken after her father and brother were killed. This was where she had her first kiss. This was where she was brought home by Dean after being bait for a werewolf. Old memories flooded her brain as she stepped out of the car.

As she walked up to the apartment, she felt incredibly out of place. This wasn't home anymore. Then again, Liz thought, it never really was. Liz never felt comfortable, at least not completely.

Liz knocked on the door and her aunt answered. Liz received an awkward hug from her. "Come in, come in. This is Mr. Robert Charlesworth. He is the one in charge of your father's will."

"We've gone through a lot to find you, young lady." the elderly man shook her hand and smiled.

"How've you been, Liz?" Bethany asked as they sat down in the living room.

"Alright, I guess."

"How's Wisconsin? I see you've left California. Why?"

"Wanted to get away. Didn't have anything to stay for." Liz said uncomfortably.

"So you broke up with Greg? Good. I always knew he was too good for you. I hope you weren't heart broken."

"His name was Gavin, and yeah, it's kinda heart breaking when you watch someone you love die."

"Oh Lord, was it drugs? All the kids in L.A. are on–"

"No! He died in a fire over two years ago. Thanks for your sympathies. How did you even find me?" Liz was ready to run out of the apartment and go straight back to the Roadhouse.

"Well, we hired a private investigator. When we couldn't find you under Atwood, we looked under your mother's maiden name. There is an Elizabeth Davis in Virginia, Florida, Arizona and Wisconsin. You were the last one we checked." Mr. Charlesworth explained.

"Okay, so my dad's will...why wasn't it brought up after he died?"

"Well, his will states that you were not to receive your inheritance until your 24th birthday. We've been looking for you since then. See your father left a good amount of money for you when he passed."

Liz stumbled into the Roadhouse around noon. Jo was sweeping while Dean was going through pieces of what looked like a table. Liz passed them by without noticing the mess that was the Roadhouse and sat down at the bar. Her head fell down onto the bar.

"Lizzie? What happened?" Dean dropped the leg of the table and ran to her side as did Jo.

"I thought you weren't coming back until tomorrow? Isn't it like a 12 hour drive?" Jo asked.

Liz slammed the check onto the bar top.

"Oh my God." Jo gasped.

"Holy shit. How many zeros are next to that 12?" Dean's eyes were wide.

"A lot." Liz raised her head. "What happened here?" She finally noticed the wreck.

"Drunken idiots fighting. What do you do with that much money?" Jo asked.

"New apartment. I do not like that woman knowing where I live. And a better alias. Something completely random and generic."

"This will definitely cover a new apartment...and a beach house in Maui, a ski condo in Aspen, and a penthouse in New York too." Dean told her.

"Parker."

"Who?"

"Me. Parker. Elizabeth Parker."

"As in peter Parker? Like Spiderman?" Dean asked.

"Yep."

"You take aliases from comic books?" Jo asked.

"Today I do."

"Your name, your choice." she said.

"I should sleep." Liz said.

"Did you drive all night?" Jo asked.

"Yes."

"You drove up from Virginia night before last." Dean said.

"Haven't slept since Monday."

"C'mon, Lizzie." Dean scooped her up in his arms. "I'll be back in a while, Jo."

A/N: I AM A HORRIBLE PERSON! I know that this should've been updated months ago, and I'm really sorry about that. School, life, and now work can be added to my list of excuses. I'm really sorry. But you will definitely get the next update in two weeks. It's already typed up and ready to go. I'd post it now, but honestly, Lord only knows how long it would take me for another update if I did that. I really want this finished by summer, so I should be updating a lot more...and there is only about ten more chapters left (half of which are in a notebook and are now being edited). So, tell me what you think. Feel free to yell at me. I will be talking to you all again in two weeks! l8r Nikki

PS: I gave Liz the name Parker, not as a Spiderman shout out, but as a Roswell shout out to DarkWolfYingFa. I love that show. I felt like Spiderman just worked better with the story. ;)


	24. Part 24

Anything But Normal

Part 24

**April 2008**

"You have to tell her Dean." Sam told Dean.

"Y'know, I thought you'd be less of a pain in the ass when you started getting laid." Dean commented.

Sam ignored him. "I thought you would've had the sense to tell her by now."

"She doesn't need to know." Dean reasoned.

"Doesn't need to know? You're gonna have me say 'By the way Dean died because he sold his sold last year. He never mentioned it because he thought you didn't need to know.' She is suspicious, Dean. She knows something is up. You have to tell her. I'm not going to break that news to her while we're planning your funeral." Sam said firmly.

Dean looked down. "She'll be okay."

"Really? She will be? Because last I checked, most people aren't okay after losing someone they love. Don't you get it, Dean? She won't be okay. Bobby won't be okay. Ellen won't be okay. I won't be okay. No one is going to be okay with you in hell. No one."

Dean looked up at his brother. "I'll tell her." he said quietly.

"Thank you." Sam let out a breath of relief.

"I'll be back later." Dean said and left.

That night, Dean and Liz were lying on the hood of the impala staring at the star filled Arizona sky. They'd just finished killing a Wendigo a couple days earlier.

"How's your hand?" Dean asked holding her bandaged left hand. The Wendigo had gotten into her pretty good.

"Fine. It's healing nicely. Probably won't even leave a scar." Liz said as she breathed in Dean's leather jacket.

In Dean's mind, he realized that she did this a lot. He decided at that moment that when he died, she would get the jacket. Sam would get the Impala.

Dean wrapped his arms around her tightly. "I have to tell you something."

"Go for it." she said happily. She was content sitting here in the middle of the desert with no one but Dean.

"I...I–Will you marry me?"

"What?" Liz shot up.

Dean sat up too. "I guess that was the wrong way to ask."

"You've never even said 'I love you' to me. Hell, you only started referring to me as your girlfriend a month ago."

"I'm not good with all the feelings crap, Lizzie. You know that."

"But you're good with the proposing marriage crap?"

"Apparently not, judging from your reaction."

"Why, Dean? Why would you want to marry me now?"

"Why not?"

"That isn't an answer."

"C'mon Lizzie. We can go to Vegas and get married. I want to be with you."

"You are with me. We don't have to get married for that to happen."

"I...I want to get married before I die."

"I'm sure you will, Dean."

"Lizzie, it has to be now. Who knows when I'm going to die?"

"Exactly, Dean. You don't know. Ever since last year you've been talking like this; saying that you want to do something before you die. I've written it off as a 'live life to the fullest' type of attitude, but it's gotten worse lately. What's going on?"

Dean sighed. "Remember last year when Sam said his injusry was from a friend who stabbed him in the back? He meant it literally. It was Jake. He cut Sam's spinal cord."

"But that would mean that Sam is dead."

"Yeah, he was...for a little while."

"You made a deal, didn't you? With a crossroads demon?"

"Yeah, I did."

"So, ten years right? Well, we still have nine years left to get out of it, and–"

"Lizzie, I didn't get ten years. I got one."

Dean waited for a reaction. He waited for her to yell at him or punch him or something. She didn't though. In a voice barely above a whisper she asked, "How long do you have left?"

"Two weeks and four days."

Liz looked like she was about to cry. She took a deep breath. Dean expected tears, but there were none. "So Vegas, huh?" she gave a small smile.

A/N: I told you I would update in two weeks! And I did! The next one should be up in two weeks. Let me know what you think!


	25. Part 25

Note: Once again, sorry for the wait. Also, just a reminder since it's been a while, Katie is Dean's daughter and Jenny is Sam's daughter.

Anything But Normal

Part 25

**Present Day**

"I'm sorry." Liz said. Sam just left. He and Dean had been going over plans before they leave tomorrow. Liz sat on the desk of Dean's office, which was cluttered with papers, newspaper clippings, and pictures of his family. "It's just...It's hard not to flip out, Dean. Hunting the odd demon here and there is one thing, but Azazel? You know what he's done to our families. I never want Katie to go through that."

"You think I don't know that, Lizzie? I'm going so that she doesn't ever have to live the way we did. I don't want to ever have to teach her to shoot first, ask questions later. It's bad enough that she can't sleep without salting her doors and windows. I don't ever want her and Jenny digging graves." Dean said firmly.

"I know. I just flipped out."

"Yeah, well I probably should've told you." Dean reasoned.

"_Definitely_ should've told me." Liz corrected.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Okay, _definitely_. Are we good now?"

Liz reached up and kissed him. "Is that a yes?" Dean asked. Liz didn't respond, instead kissing him again only breaking apart to pull Dean's shirt off. "That's definitely a yes." Dean grinned.

**April 2008**

Liz stood in front of a mirror staring at herself.

"It looks great." Sam said.

"Really? You don't think it looks trashy?" Liz turned to him.

"Of course I don't, Liz."

"It's short."

"It's Dean. The shorter, the better in his world. Do you like it?"

"Yeah, I love it, actually." Liz turned back to the mirror. She stood in the shop wondering if she could really marry anyone in this. It wasn't a bridal gown. It was a short, white, babydoll dress. It fit her like a glove. The top didn't reveal too much but just enough, and it reached down to mid-thigh.

"You know you didn't have to come, Sam."

"Yeah, but I want to help."

"With picking out a dress?"

"It's you, Liz. You can't make decisions about this stuff on your own, and Jo won't be here until tonight." Sam smiled.

It was true. She was having a tough time making the decision. She wondered if each one looked slutty or trashy or gaudy or like it belonged to someone's grandmother. Sam was probably keeping her sane.

"Thanks for being here, Sam."

"Not a problem. Now you love this dress."

"Yeah."

"So buy it, Liz. You could do the Britney Spears ripped jeans and trucker hat look if you wanted to. Dean would still gladly marry you."

Liz smiled and went back into the dressing rooms. She came out in her jeans and Zepplin t-shirt with the white dress in her hands. She sat down next to Sam on the couch outside the dressing rooms. "Sam, can I ask you a question?"

"Go for it."

"Is it wrong that I'm marrying Dean when I told Gavin that I basically never wanted to get married?"

"Do you want to marry Dean?""

"Yeah."

"Would you have married Gavin if you knew it was one of his last dying wishes?"

"Yeah."

"Then it isn't wrong Liz. Far from it."

Liz and Sam returned to the motel on the edge of the Las Vegas strip.

"Did you find a dress?" Dean asked.

"Yes." Liz said pointing to the black bag she was holding with a hanger poking out through the top.

"Can I see it?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"It's bad luck...I think. I have trouble remembering all the superstitions, but either way I'm not risking it. I don't want anything getting in the way of our week without demons." Liz was referring to the deal she and Dean made. No hunting in Vegas. They hadn't gone that long without even looking for a hunt in a while.

"Fine. I won't she you my tux."

Liz laughed. "I think I'll live. I'm just shocked that you went out and bought a tux."

"I had to talk him into it." Sam told her.

Liz rolled her eyes as she hung the dress up in the closet.

There was a sudden banging on the door. "Sam Winchester, open the damn door!"

Sam rushed to the door to open it . The door swung open to reveal a worried and pissed off Sarah. "What the hell?" she asked.

"Let's go outside." Sam walked with her out to the parking lot and leaned against the Impala. "What are you doing here, Sarah?"

"I wanted to see you. That message you left freaked me out. 'Hey, Sarah. I'm in Vegas with Liz and Dean. I might be out of touch for a few weeks. If you don't hear back from me in a few weeks, then I'm probably gone.' What reaction did you expect Sam? Tell me what the hell made you leave a message like that, telling your girlfriends that you might be dead in a few weeks!?"

"You know my job."

"Yeah, I do and I know that you've been on at least fifteen hunts since I got together with you. Never have you ever left a message like that before."

Sam sighed. "Dean is gonna die. I have to save him. I might die in the process." Sam went on to explain the whole deal. Everything spilled out while Sarah stood there with a look of shock on her face.

"Oh my god." she said what he finished.

"Yeah, Dean just told Liz. That's why we're here. They're gonna get married tonight."

"Wow."

"Wanna be my date?"

"Well it's a wedding, and you're my girlfriend. Will you be my date?"

"Seriously? You tell me all about how you might die trying to save your brother from hell and then you ask me out?"

"Well...yeah." Sam shrugged.

"Okay."

That night Sam was standing with Dean as he waited for Liz to walk down the aisle. The chapel was very simple. Liz made sure Elvis didn't marry them. White walls, wooden benches. Cheap fake pale pink flowers were tied to the end of each bench. Sarah, Ellen, and Bobby all sat on the benches.

Dean looked pale. "This is the right thing to do, right?"

"You love her?" Sam asked.

"Yeah."

"Then yeah, it's the right thing." Sam said, "By the way, I love you Dean. You're my brother."

"Dude no chick fl–" Dean started.

"But if you hurt Liz I'll beat your ass." Sam cut him off.

"Thanks for those encouraging words."

"You can do this, Dean. You've been in love with Liz a long time."

"It's been less than a year."

"Please, Dean. You wouldn't stop talking about her for weeks after we left North Dakota. You actually left Dad and ran to be with her the first time she called you when her apartment was haunted. You'd never been on a hunt by yourself before. You even remembered her. You wouldn't remember a random girl that you spent two days with years ago unless she meant something."

"You knew I was in love with her all this time?"

"It's kinda obvious." Sam told him. "Now Liz is gonna walk down that aisle in a minute, and you're gonna stop doubting this. You're going to get married because you are head over heels in love with that girl."

Jo, Liz's bridesmaid, began to walk down the aisle in a pretty red dress carrying white roses. She was followed by Liz. Her hair cascaded down her back in soft curls and the front pieces were pulled out of her face. She wore just a bit of makeup.

Most of the ceremony was a blur. It was short, only about ten minutes long. Five years later, Liz would only vaguely remember handing her bouquet to Jo. Dean would barely remember sliding the silver band onto Liz's hand. They would both remember the kiss though. The older man that was marrying them got through the vows. "You may now–" Dean didn't wait any longer to take Liz's face in his hands and kiss her. They didn't break apart for a good few minutes when Sam cleared his throat.

Dean turned around. "Get a cough drop, Sammy." He turned back and once again kissed his wife.

A/N: Well that only took forever! Between internet problems and school, I haven't been able to update. But school is over in two days! So I'll be updating regularly. I've got almost all of it on paper, just needs to be typed. There are only five chapters left, so it should be finished in the next few weeks. As always, let me know what you think! Questions, comments, complaints. I'll take em all! Thanks for reading.


	26. Part 26

Anything But Normal

Part 26

Liz sat nervously on the couch in Dean's arms. Tears streamed down her face, salt water staining Dean's t-shirt. He rubbed her back, trying to soothe her. It was ridiculous, and Liz knew that yet she still didn't care. Dean should've been crying. He should've been flipping out. After all, it was one year ago today that Sam came back from the dead.

"I'll be okay." Dean said.

"It's hell, Dean. I think there's a reason that' all the demons want out." Liz sniffed.

"It doesn't matter. Look, I've come to terms with my deal. I'll be fine."

They'd been having this conversation for an hour. Liz was frustrated. "I'm glad you'll be okay, Dean, but what about me? I know it's selfish, but I want more time with you. I just found you again. I don't want to lose you again!"

Dean pressed his lips to Liz's forehead. Two weeks of wedded bliss wasn't enough. Two decades wouldn't have been enough. Nothing would ever be enough to make Liz okay with losing her husband.

"I'm sorry, Lizzie. I really am so sorry."

He hated putting Sam and Liz though this. Speaking of which, where was his brother? Dean wondered where the hell Sammy could be when he was going to die in just a couple hours.

Dean's thoughts were answered when Sam stumbled through the door. He was covered in blood. "Line the doors with salt!" he slammed the door behind him.

Dean and Liz lined the door and windows with salt without question, acting out of what had become a reflex for them. Someone shouts salt, you get the salt without questioning it.

Sam lie on the couch, bleeding out. Dean and Liz went over to him after all entries were salted. "What happened?" Dean asked.

"Too much protection. Didn't wanna let it go." Sam panted. He was out of breath and in too much pain.

"What?"

"It's real?" Liz asked, shocked.

"What's real?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, it's real. You still have everything in here?" Sam asked.

"Is what still here?" Dean demanded.

"Yeah."

"Someone tell me what the hell is going on!" Dean shouted.

"You're out of your deal, or at least you will be in a few minutes." Sam showed Dean a ring. There was a sparkling ruby on a gold band surrounded by latin engravings.

"That isn't..." Dean trailed off, eyes wide.

"The Ring of Solomon." Sam grinned through his blood streaked face.

Liz came over with a bowl full of herbs. "You sure you don't wanna get stitched up first? Takes a lot of energy to control a demon."

"It can wait. I need blood for this anyway."

Sam sat up on the couch and squeezed his hand over the bowl Liz had put on the coffee table. His blood dripped into the bowl. He dropped the ring and used his bloody hand to stir the mixture. Sam stopped and took the ring out.

"You don't have to do this, Sammy." Dean said.

"Yes, I do." Sam told him as he slid the ring onto his right hand.

Then...nothing. No lights or wind or anything significant.

"Did it work?" Liz asked.

"I...don't know." Sam answered.

Liz felt a shiver run down her spine. "I think we're about to find out."

Dean heard a bark. "I hate your psychic vibes."

The door to the motel room was broken down. The circle of hoodoo dust surrounding the couch prevented them from getting to the three hunters. Liz and Sam could only see the dog's paw prints on the ugly shag carpet with every step they took.

"Stay away from him." Sam said firmly.

The dogs didn't leave. They were trying to blow the dust away. Liz let out an audible gasp when the line broke.

"I said STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" Sam yelled.

A red transparent shield protruded form the ring, sending the dogs back. "Tell her that Dean's soul will not ever belong to her."

"They're gone." Dean said in disbelief.

"It's over." Sam said.

Dean stood up and hugged his brother. "I love you, Sammy. You're an idiot, but I love you."

"You're my brother. I told you that I'd do anything for you."

Dean let him go. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Sam said, "Now go say something to your wife."

There wasn't much that could be expressed through words. There wasn't much that need to be expressed through words. They knew each other well enough to know what the other was feeling. So instead Liz just kissed him. "Don't do anything that stupid again." Liz rested her forehead against his.

"Well apparently the consequences won't be too bad with Sammy's new ring."

"_Dean._"

"What? I'm just saying, it could come in handy." Dean reasoned.

There was a knock on the door frame (since the actual door was wide open and held up by only one hinge). "Is everything alright folks?" asked a man wearing a maintenance uniform.

"Yes, everything's great." Sam smiled.

"Really? Because I don't think it is." The man's eyes went black.

"I wouldn't try anything if I were you." Sam held up his hand with the ring.

"Think you're a tough guy now? We can take you." the demon warned.

"Go away...or better yet, go to hell." Sam said.

The man's face twitched as black smoke shot out of his face.

"See? It comes in handy." Dean said.

"This is going to change everything, isn't it?" Sam asked rhetorically.

"Is that good?" Liz asked.

"Of course it is." Dean said, "It makes hunting much easier."

"They're going to wanted the ring, dean." Sam informed him.

"C'mon, let's get you patched up. Worry about the world ending tomorrow." Liz suggested.

A/N: So I thought I'd be able to write on summer vacation, but then I started to get more hours at work and had a ton of summer homework. Unfortunately if I get busy, my fanfiction is the first thing to suffer. I'm really sorry. I know I'm terrible. But if you are still reading this (and thank you very much to those who have stuck with me through my lack of updates), please tell me what you think!


	27. Part 27

Anything But Normal

Part 27

A/N: bolded is a recap of all the flash forwards since it has been quite a while.

_**Present Day**_

"**What are you doing?" Liz questioned.**

"**Reading the newspaper." Dean said.**

"**Why?" she asked.**

"**I thought I'd catch up on my current events." Dean said.**

"**That's why you watch the five o'clock news. You don't like reading."**

**Dean looked up at her. "What are you getting at, Lizzie?"**

"**You've got two weeks off from work, and you're gonna go on a hunt." She knew that him hunting would never permanently stop. She accepted that....usually. He'd been working at the firehouse a lot since he was promoted to fire marshal, so he hadn't spent much time with Liz lately. When he said that he was taking two weeks off, Liz assumed that she would be spending time with him.**

**Dean looked back down at the paper without answering.**

"**Dean! What are you not telling me?"**

**Dean sighed. "Ash called Sam. Sam called me. Ash found something important."**

"**What do you want me to do, Dean? Beat it out of you?"**

**Dean sighed yet again. He knew that she wasn't gonna like this at all. "There have been three nursery fires within the past month." **

**The color drained from Liz's face.**

"**When did Bobby call?" Liz asked.**

"**A little over three weeks ago," Dean sighed, "After the first."**

"**You've known for a month about this?" Liz was starting to get pissed.**

"**I haven't been that busy at work. I've been looking into this case." Dean confessed.**

"**You what?!? How the hell could you keep this from me Dean?!?" Liz yelled.**

"**I didn't want to worry you incase it was nothing."**

"**Dean, you've known since the first. After three attacks you finally decide to tell me?" Liz was trying to keep her voice at an even level.**

"**We've never had anything to check out before. The first two burned to the ground completely and there wasn't anything left. They were able to contain the fire this time. There are still remains for us to check out there. We can check for sulfur."**

"**You think the yellow-eyed demon would be powerful? After escaping eight years of hell, literally?" Dean looked away. "What are you keeping from me now?"**

**Dean looked back at her. "Sammy figured out how to hack into the police computer database last week. All of the police reports had something listed that wasn't released to the public. They all found a black, thick substance."**

"**Ectoplasm?" **

"**We think so."**

"**I can't believe you never told me any of this, Dean."**

"**I know you're angry– "**

**Angry? Try pissed as hell!"**

"**Liz – "**

"**Don't bother, Dean. Just leave me alone right now." Liz took her coffee and walked out of the kitchen.**

**Sam knocked on the door to his brother's house. Dean lived in Wakefield, Massachusetts, while Sam lived less than an hour away in New Durham. Sam loved New Durham. He lived in a nice house that was right on Merrymeeting Lake. He had a great wife, Sarah, whom he loved very much along with his daughter, Jenny. He knew all of his neighbors, a white picket fence, and a life that Dean continuously teased him about. **

**Though Sam wouldn't point out to Dean that his life wasn't that much different. He didn't know his neighbors because his house was very out of the way. He had two acres of his own land that the house was on, so he definitely had his privacy, and no neighbors. He didn't have a fence. But he went to work everyday. He went to the company picnics and friends barbeques. He convinced people that he was normal. Sam didn't bother pointing that out to Dean, though. He knew that Dean would just deny it all, and Sam didn't care all that much.**

"**Hey, Sammy." Dean said as he opened the door and let his brother in, "How's it going?"**

"**Sarah is a bit angry, but more afraid. How about you?" Sam said as the walked into Dean's living room. The blue and white couch, love seat, and recliner chair sat on a tan carpet surrounding a wooden coffee table and facing a big screen tv (which Sam was positive Dean had picked out).**

"**Liz hasn't said a word since I told her this morning." Dean collapsed onto the couch.**

"**I told you she'd be pissed." Sam said as he sat down on the recliner.**

"**I know."**

"**I told you she should know."**

"**I know.**

"**I told you–"**

"**I'm so glad you aren't being an ass and rubbing the fact that you predicted all of this in my face." Dean said bitterly.**

"**She deserved to know, Dean. This affects her even more than it does you."**

"**Bitch."**

"**Jerk." They both smiled at their little joke.**

"**Uncle Sammy!" an adorable little girl with light brown hair and bright blue-green eyes came running out of the hallway into Sam's arms.**

"**Hey cutie." Sam hugged his niece, "You've gotten taller."**

"**What're you doing here?" the little girl asked.**

"**I am staying for dinner tonight."**

"**Katie," Dean said, "Wanna come with me to Antonio's to pick up the pizza?"**

**His daughter agreed to go as he scooped her up in his arms. The said bye to Sam and left for the car.**

**Sam found Liz in Katie's room, cleaning up a few of her toys. The room was a nice size. There was a small bed in the middle with a purple butterfly blanket covering it. The room was filled with assorted toys and Barbie dolls.**

"**Hey." Sam said as he leaned against the door frame.**

"**Sam," Liz gave him a big hug, "Hi."**

"**How are you?"**

"**I'm okay. You know, considering my freaky destiny to be an evil killer might still happen when I thought it ended about 11 years ago, I'm doing okay. How about you?" **

"**Freaking out the same way you are. I finally stopped worrying about finding Sarah pinned to the ceiling in Jenny's nursery. For the first year I wouldn't even let her check on Jenny by herself at night." **

**They both sat down on top of a wooden toy chest that sat against the wall. "I remember. She was so annoyed with you for that. How did she take the news?"**

"**She was pissed that I never said anything before. At this point, she is just scared. But she's a bit more understanding than you."**

"**I have good reason though! He kept this a secret when it directly affects me!" Liz said defensively.**

"**I know, believe me, I know. That's what I told Dean. He didn't tell you because he didn't want to get you worried, Liz. You know him. He just wants to protect you."**

"**But he can't protect me from this."**

"**He doesn't wasn't to face that. He never did with me either. You know that he was only keeping this from you because he thought it was for the best. He wasn't trying to upset you."**

"**I know." Liz sighed. "Sam, I can't let this hunt for the yellow-eyed demon start again. I can't raise my daughter in motel rooms, and teach her how to hunt demons. I mean, this is why Dean and I never even brought up the subject of kids until the war was over and everything was calm."**

"**I know. My dreams..."**

"**Are you getting visions again?"**

"**I don't know. They started out as dreams in the beginning. Lately, my dreams have been about the demon."**

**A tear slid down Liz's cheek as the reality of the situation began to sink in. "This can't be happening. You and Dean barely made it out alive the last time. Hell, you didn't make it out alive. This just can't be happening again."**

"**I know." Sam wrapped his arms around his sister in law. "We aren't going to let them grow up the way we did. I don't want the girls hunting demon, never being able to live a normal life because of this. If it really is the demon, we will stop it, we will kill it, and we will end it...again." he said firmly.**

"**I'm sorry." Liz said. Sam just left. He and Dean had been going over plans before they leave tomorrow. Liz sat on the desk of Dean's office, which was cluttered with papers, newspaper clippings, and pictures of his family. "It's just...It's hard not to flip out, Dean. Hunting the odd demon here and there is one thing, but Azazel? You know what he's done to our families. I never want Katie to go through that."**

"**You think I don't know that, Lizzie? I'm going so that she doesn't ever have to live the way we did. I don't want to ever have to teach her to shoot first, ask questions later. It's bad enough that she can't sleep without salting her doors and windows. I don't ever want her and Jenny digging graves." Dean said firmly.**

"**I know. I just flipped out."**

"**Yeah, well I probably should've told you." Dean reasoned.**

"**Definitely should've told me." Liz corrected. **

**Dean rolled his eyes. "Okay, definitely. Are we good now?"**

**Liz reached up and kissed him. "Is that a yes?" Dean asked. Liz didn't respond, instead kissing him again only breaking apart to pull Dean's shirt off. "That's definitely a yes." Dean grinned.**

Present Day

"You remember your promise, right?" Dean asked. He was kneeling on the blacktop to be at eye level with her.

"Yep." Katie nodded. "Now you have to make me one."

"Oh, yeah?" Dean raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah. Promise that you'll come back." She looked at him with her big puppy eyes. He's sure that she picked that up from Sam.

Dean didn't want to leave her. Of course Dean would miss Liz, but he wasn't worried. She could take care of herself. But Katie still needed her Daddy. Who else would be there to threaten future boyfriends and teach her how to drive?

Dean couldn't come up with any words that moment so he just nodded his head.

"Pinky promise?" the little girl held out her right hand, pinky up.

Dean couldn't do anything but chuckle. He complied with her wish, his pinky wrapping around her tiny one. He pulled her close to him and hugged her. "I love you kiddo."

"I love you too, Daddy. Remember your promise."

"I will." He kissed her cheek. The school bell rang. "Go with your class."

"Bye Daddy."

"Bye Katie."

Dean watched her enter the school and left for the firehouse. He had to sign a couple papers before he left.

"What are you doing here Welsh?" Cal, a tall guy in his forties, asked. Dean didn't even flinch at the name anymore. They'd had to get an alias so the Feds kept thinking they were dead.

"Just have to sign a bit of paperwork before I leave."

"Or did you just want to see my pretty face before you face those grizzly bears?"

"You wish. If I wanted to see pretty, I'd just look in a mirror."

"Cocky. I think Lydia is in your office."

"Oh."

"Yeah, she creeps me out too. I think she was trying to hit on you earlier."

"Yeah, well she knows I'm married." It was something Dean was used to by now: women hitting on him when they knew he was married.

"To a smoking chick who should be married to me." said Rob. He was a cocky 25 year old. He kinda reminded Dean of himself.

"You wanna go clean the toilets, Sanchez? Cause our custodian would love a morning off."

"No sir." the smirk was wiped off his face.

"Stop checking out my wife. She's 11 years older than you."

"I don't think any other guy is strong enough to say no to Lydia." Cal said.

Lydia was pretty. Most guys compared her to a playmate. 15 years ago, Dean would've hopped into bed with the petite blonde and given her a night to remember. Although 15 years ago, she was about seven, so maybe not.

"You know you've got something good with your girl when you turn that down." Rob said.

"I'm not going to fuck up 10 years of marriage and great sex for ten minutes with Lydia." Dean said.

"Damn, it's been 10 years?"

"At the end of April."

"I can barely do ten days." Rob said.

"That's because you can't keep your pants zipped." Dean turned to Cal, "Try to keep him outta trouble."

"Sure. You should get to that paperwork. Make sure Lydia isn't doing any voodoo spell to make you her love slave or something."

"Yeah." Dean gave an uneasy laugh. 'Just a joke, Dean, it's just a joke.' he thought.

"Oh, hi Dean!" Lydia said as he walked into his office.

"Hey Lydia. Did you draw up that paperwork I asked for?"

"Yeah, it's all right here."

Dean walked behind his desk. Before he looked at the paperwork he picked up a frame of Lizzie and Katie that had been face down. He knew that if he mentioned it, Lydia would stammer about it being like that when she came in.

"So I'm not gonna see you for two weeks? How is the fire house gonna survive without you?"

"Cal will take care of everything."

"How am I goinna survive without you?" Lydia played with the collar of his leather jacket.

He swatted her hand away. "You'll get by."

Lydia pouted and turned away. She was about to leave his office when Dean said "Lydia?"

"Yeah?"

"One more pass at me and you're fired." She huffed and stomped out.

"Hey Dean, while you're here I've got another contract for you to sign.

"Sure, bring it here."

Cal walked in and glanced at the other papers on his desk. "You're finalizing your will?"

"Yep." Dean signed the contracts.

"Why?"

"I just want to be sure that everything is okay before I leave."

"Ya know, if you went deer hunting it might be less stressful. Bears aren't exactly cute and cuddly."

"Yeah, I know." Dean had said that he hunted grizzly bears when he'd come back from his last hunt. He's shown up at work with four huge scratches across his face. A ghost with a rake wasn't an acceptable explanation. They'd put him in an institution (though even if they did understand, he didn't really want to admit that he got his ass beat by a girl with a rake). "Look man, if for some reason I'm not back in two weeks, can you make sure Lizzie gets this? It'll be in my top drawer here."

"Shouldn't your lawyer be handling that?"

"He's coming with me. Can you do it?"

"Yeah, absolutely. You okay Dean?"

"I'm fine. Keep the boys in line, Cal."

"You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I"m good. Best of luck, man."

"Yeah, you too." Cal furrowed his brow, but didn't ask Dean what was wrong as he watched him walk out of the firehouse.

Dean saw Sarah's car sitting in his driveway as he pulled up to his house.

"Hey." he greeted Liz as he walked in the door.

"Hi." she put down the broom she'd been using and walked over to him. Dean picked her up by the waist and kissed her.

"You should come with us." he said.

"Dean..."

"C'mon you used to be a hunter."

"Katie, Dean. She needs parents. It's bad enough that she knows about demons." Liz sighed. She wanted to protect her daughter from these things.

Dean also let out a heavy sigh. "We still might have to call you to come out."

"Excuse me?" Liz was taken aback.

"You can still use your powers."

"You don't know that."

"Yeah, I do." Dean said firmly. "I've seen you reach for the top shelf of the pantry before."

"I...It happens unconsciously sometimes."

"I know. And I know that you hate admitting that your powers are still in tact, but we have to look at all of our options here. We might need your powers at some point. Sam can't access his the way you can access yours."

"And she shouldn't have to." Sam came out to the living room. "She isn't using her powers for anything."

"Sammy, if we run out of options, we won't have a choice."

"Using her powers will make her more susceptible to Azazel's influence!"

"You don't know that! Sam we don't know anything."

"It doesn't matter!" Liz shouted. "Stop talking about me as if I'm not here. It's my powers, I'll make the decision...I'll go if you need me."

"Liz–" Sam started.

"Maybe it has to be one of us that kills him, Sam. We still don't know why I was never in the Psychic Kid Deathmatch that you were in. We don't know why he isn't still dead. We don't know that it was their powers that made Jake and Ava evil. We know nothing. When you find Azazel, you call me if you need me. Got it?"

"Fine." Sam sighed. He didn't like any of this.

"Thank you." Dean held her hand.

"What's going on?" Sarah appeared from the hallway.

"It isn't important." Sam said.

"Did you two seriously just have sex in my house?" Dean asked.

"I told you he'd be able to tell." Sarah smacked Sam's arm.

"C'mon, you think I don't know the look of two people who just had sex in their brother's house? Please, I've had that look on my face enough times to know." Dean smirked.

"You two are like freaking rabbits." Sam shook his head.

"The pot just called the kettle black."

"Are you ready to go?" Sam asked.

"In just a minute." he pulled Liz into the kitchen. He poured himself a paper cup full of coffee. "Last edible cup of coffee I'll have for a while."

Liz smiled. "Well no one can ever do it as well as I do." Liz's eyes narrowed and Dean suddenly realized she wasn't talking about coffee.

"Trust me."

"I do, but we haven't been apart for any significant amount of time since we got married."

Dean went to the fridge. "Can I take this?" Dean took off a picture held by magnets. It showed Liz and Katie painting flower pots. More paint of them than the pots. Both were giggling as Dean took the photo.

"Sure."

"Good." he pressed his forehead to hers. "Whenever I want to do something stupid, I'll have this to remind me why I'm not going to do it. My family." he kissed her.

"I love you." She whispered.

"I know." he said.

Liz smacked him. "No!"

"Ow! What?"

"You don't get to pull a Han Solo right now! You don't get to say 'I know.' You have to–"

Dean kissed her. "I'm not fin–"

"I love you too, Lizzie."

"Better."

They went out to the impala as Sam and Sarah were saying their goodbyes.

There were no goodbyes between Liz and Dean. He simply pushed he up against the side of the car and kissed her. It wasn't a soft kiss like the one in the kitchen. It was a end of the world kiss. Dean remembered the only other time they kissed like that in front of everyone was when Dean's deal was up. They finally broke apart.

"I fully intend on doing that many more times, so don't get your ass killed." Liz said.

"That's the plan." Dean smiled and kissed her forehead. "Let's go Sammy."

Sam slid into the passenger seat after giving Liz a hug.

"Call." Liz said.

"I'll try."

"That wasn't a request." Dean kissed her one last time before before slamming the trunk down.

"I'll call you Lizzie." Dean got into the car.

Both of the women of the Winchester family stood on the porch steps as they watched their spouses drive away.

"What now?" Sarah asked.

"Nothing. Nothing has changed. They might be back in two weeks."

"You believe that?"

"I have to." Liz said.

A/N: Alright, once again, very sorry that i don't update this more. we're getting to the end now, so provided my life remains clam and uneventful, this story should be finished before the season finale of supernatural. anyway, let me know what you think!


	28. Part 28

Part 28

Two weeks flew by; then three, four, five, six. It was June now. Noone had seen Dean and Sam since April. Liz had to talk to Park Rangers and send them out on a wild goose chase. It would be suspicious if she did nothing when her husband was "missing." Of course she talked to Dean most days. He'd call to update her, but for some reason neither of the boys had called in a week. Sarah was flipping out. Liz remained calm although she was worried.

Liz threw herself into her work. She owned a coffee shop called Winchester. Dean wasn't ready to let go of his name. It felt almost like abandoning John's Legacy. Liz knew how he felt so she named the coffee shop for him.

Liz saw the looks her customers gave her. They all felt so sorry for her. She overheard Elaine, a mother from Katie's school, talking to Tammy and Susan, two other PTA mothers. "She still thinks he's coming back," Elaine said.

"Is that even a possibility?" Tammy asked.

"Those boys hunt bears. They've been gone nearly two months. Of course it isn't a possibility." Susan said.

"I heard that the park rangers want to declare them dead but Liz won't let them. The brother's wife thinks they're coming back too," Tammy said.

"Cal tried to give Liz Dean's pension. She wouldn't take it," Susan, Cal's wife, said.

"How's Cal been taking it?" Elaine asked.

"He…He thinks Dean was planning something."

"Planning what?" Tammy asked.

"Last night he told me that Dean was finalizing his will before he left. He said he'd been acting strange, as if he was saying goodbye."

"Maybe he was planning to abandon Liz and Katie," said Elaine.

"Maybe he was planning suicide. I heard he had a rough childhood," Tammy suggested.

"Maybe," an unknown voice said, "You shouldn't be gossiping about a woman in her own establishment."

Liz spun around behind the counter to see the woman although she knew the voice. "Ellen," she smiled.

"How you doing sweetheart?" Ellen embraced her in a hug.

"Been better. Is Jo with you?"

"No, she's at home with Rick."

"Look you almost didn't flinch when you said his name! That's progress," Liz teased.

Ellen helped Liz with the shop the rest of the day. She explained to Ellen that nothing would stop those gossipy school moms so she just ignores them. Ellen claimed that she would've tossed them out of her bar on their asses. Liz laughed.

At 9 Ellen turned over the closed sign. She took a bag of salt and lined the doors and windows. "I have to make sure we're safe."

"Ellen, this really isn't a demon hot-spot."

"I mean so they can't hear. When was the last time Dean called?"

"A week ago."

"Has he said anything about the hunt?"

"Just that it's going nowhere."

"Well they got somewhere last Sunday."

"What?"

"The boys sent me to get you. They didn't want to call because they thought something might listen in."

"What do they want me to do?" Liz asked.

"I don't know. They just gave me this address." Ellen handed Liz a piece of paper.

"Kansas? The boys are in Lawrence?" Liz was wide-eyed.

"Yeah, they looked, well Dean more than Sam, pretty freaked out. I take it they don't head home much."

"Try never."

"I can handle the shop and Katie."

"I'll leave tonight."

A/N: Yeah, I'm gonna finish this. I can't not finish a story. It just took me a while to actually be motivated to do it. Let me know what you think.


	29. Part 29

Part 29

Liz knocked on the motel room door. Every second that passed felt like hours. What was the emergency? Why wasn't it safe to call? Why was it better for her to be here than protecting her daughter? Thousands of thoughts flooded Liz's mind in the ten seconds it took for the door to open.

Sam stood there in a bloodied shirt and ripped jeans. Liz could see the stitches that ran through his cheek. "God, Sam."

"Hey Liz," he smiled and wrapped his arms around her. Liz could feel him wince in pain.

"Sorry."

"Don't be, we missed you."

Speaking of 'we,' where's my husband?" Liz asked as she entered the motel room.

"Hot chocolate run."

"He hates hot chocolate."

"He said you loved it."

Liz smiled. It was the apocalypse and he was buying her hot chocolate.

"What happened to you?" Liz sat down on the bed while Sam remained standing.

"Got the crap beat out of me."

"Well no shit."

"Let's wait for Dean to explain that."

Dean walked in about 5 minutes later with a box of hot chocolate mix. He looked to Sam. "I don't think I was followed, but salt everything just in case. I swear if that girl don't get here soon, I'm gonna—"

"You're gonna what? Kill me? Because I thought we were trying to prevent that." Liz stood in the doorway of the bathroom.

Dean looked over to her. "You're really…you're here. It is you, right?" Dean had that look, a look that only Liz and Sam could recognize. He eyes were wide with a look of shock and fear. He was being cautious.

"What happened? Why are you afraid?" Liz asked.

Dean shook his head. "It's not important." He took her face into his hands and kissed her.

"How's Katie?"

"She misses her dad. I miss him too."

"I'm sorry," he sighed.

"Why?"

"You have to go through this. I shouldn't be here. I should be at home with my girls."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just don't like leaving you."

"I know that, but you've never apologized for it. You made it very clear a long time ago that you are who you are. You make no apologies for it. Why now?"

"Bobby's been looking at supernatural occurrences all over the place. There have been omens…bad omens." Sam said.

"Okay. What are they pointing to? What are they foreshadowing?" Liz asked.

"They're all a little different, but at the end of it, they're still saying the same thing: The world is

ending. The heroes will die." Dean told her.

"There are prophecies," Sam said.

"She doesn't need to know about them, Sam," Dean said.

"Yes she does. They're about her, Dean. You can't protect her from this."

"Tell me," Liz demanded.

"The prophecy talks about hybrids of demons and humans," Dean started.

"A human with demon blood…like us," Liz said.

"Maybe. It talks about how the hybrids will divide. There will be those that join the Light and those that succumb to the Darkness," Dean continued.

"And?"

"And the Dark will swallow the light. It goes on about how the demon side is stronger," Sam finished.

Liz looked from Sam to Dean. Sam was angry. He'd spent so long fighting this just to be told he couldn't. Dean, well, he was vulnerable. He was just told that he'd lose the people who were his entire world. He wasn't the cocky, suave Dean she often saw.

So we fight," Liz said.

"If we—" Sam started.

"We fight." Liz said. There was a tone of finality in her voice that was undeniable.

"Okay. We fight." Dean said.

AN: Reviews are always appreciated.


	30. Part 30

A/N: Oh, so you've figured out that the whole angel storyline doesn't exist in my story, right? Just a friendly reminder.

Anything But Normal

Part 30

The three hunters didn't have much to go on. The fires were popping up everywhere. They thought there was some semblance to it originally, but as the fires continued a pattern seemed less likely. These attacks were random. Therefore Liz, Sam, and Dean roamed, hoping to find something. It seemed unlikely that there were going to find anything…until they did.

It was Sam and Dean's old house. There was a for sale sign on the front door, no car in the driveway and a padlock on the front door. No one was living there. "Whoa, there, that window," Sam said.

"What did you see?" Dean asked.

"Lightning or some sort of flash of light."

"Upstairs?" Liz asked as Dean stopped the car.

"Yeah, second window from the right."

"The nursery," Dean said as they rushed out of the car and into the house. They broke down the front door and rushed upstairs. They could see the smoke already.

Sam ran into the nursery first, followed by Liz and then Dean. They all stopped dead in their tracks. In front of them sat a dark haired man warming his hands in front of a bonfire. "S'mores, anyone?" he turned around and smirked.

"Trickster," Sam said in disbelief.

Dean fired a shot into his chest. "You son of a bitch."

"Hey now, no need for that, especially since bullets don't hurt me."

"No, but it makes me feel a whole lot better."

"And here I thought just the sight of my shining face would have made you feel better."

"This was all you," Liz said, her voice filled with shock, "all of it: the fires, the patterns, the disappearing patterns. You've been sending us on a wild goose chase."

"Don't forget the prophecy. That part totally freaked you out with the hybrids and the Dark swallowing the Light. That was _good_," he laughed. "And then you were all 'So we fight.' It was like Mel Gibson in Braveheart. Very empowering, Liz. Oh, I'm sorry, we haven't had the pleasure of officially meeting yet. I'm the Trickster." He smiled and held out his hand.

"I know who you are." Liz didn't accept the hand.

"I see my reputation precedes me. Sorry, no actual prophecies on what you're going to do with the powers, sweetie. You've got them, and they're yours to keep and do with what you please. No returns, refunds or exchanges."

"You know what I don't understand?" Dean asked.

"Most things in life?"

"Why? Why did you need to do this to get our attention?"

"Boredom. Bet with a slugoff demon. Really, you seemed a bit too comfy in your lives. So apple pie. Thought I'd throw in some excitement. C'mon, admit it, you missed the hunt."

"That's it? You sent us on a wild goose chase for entertainment?" Sam asked. He was infuriated.

"Well, I don't really like you, either. But I think we're all on the same page there. So I thought potentially killing you might also be entertaining."

"You're going to die," Sam said.

"You didn't bring any wooden stakes, Sammy. So I'm finding that situation highly unlikely. In fact, there's a much greater chance of the reverse."

"Well, we like improvisation," Dean said.

A flaming piece of wood impaled the Trickster from behind him, through his chest. "Nice bonfire," Liz said.

"You telekinetic bitch," the Trickster said as he fell to the ground.

"Looks dead to me," Dean said.

"I could go for some s'mores now," Liz said.

"Seriously?" Sam asked.

Liz and Dean were on their front porch a day later. The impala was parked next to Ellen's truck. "Ready to be normal again?" Liz asked.

"Sweetheart, as hard as we try, we are anything but normal. We're not even in the same universe as normal."

"I guess not."

"It's okay though, us not being normal. I'm okay with it."

Liz knew what he was saying. He was okay with the fact that her powers were still intact. "What if I'm not?"

"Lizzie, the powers don't matter. You control them. Hell, you just saved us with them."

"I know. I…I just don't like the fact that I have demonic powers."

"I don't think the Trickster was lying. Your powers are yours to do with whatever you want now that Yellow Eyes is dead. You used them to kill a demon. I think that makes your powers good." Dean kissed her.

She smiled at him. "What the hell are we going to tell everyone? They're trying to declare you dead."

"Don't worry, Sammy and I already planned it. See, we got lost in the woods and we had to live like they did in the olden days, eat what you kill and stuff. We kept moving every day, and eventually we found a highway and a payphone. You were frantic to hear your dearly missed husband's voice so you didn't bother to call the authorities you just drove all night until you found me and Sammy. Nice, right?"

Liz laughed and shook her head. "You're ridiculous."

Dean opened the front door. "I think it'll work."

"Daddy!" Katie came sprinting to the door and Dean wrapped her in his arms.

As Liz watched her husband reunite with their daughter, she realized that he was right: they would never be the dictionary definition of normal, but this right here was their normal. That was something she was more than okay with.

The End

A/N: I finished! It took until I got to college, but I did it! lol. I guess I just can't abandon a story. (Seriously, I thought of the idea for this after the season 2 episode Heart. Now we're in the middle of season 6. Who takes that long to write one fanfic? Clearly, I'm crazy.) So, what did you think of the Trickster ending? Anticlimactic? Yes, a bit, but that's what I was going for. I wanted it to go in a direction that was completely unexpected. Also, I'm a sucker for a happy ending. As always, reviews are very much appreciated. Thanks so much for reading!


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